Memoirs of A Diva: Welcome Back
by punkydiva17
Summary: The year 2005 sees Rinoa getting back into the swing of things...and it sees her more ferocious than ever
1. Back on the Road Again

**Chapter One: Back on the Road Again**

Rinoa Fielder-McMahon entered through the doors of the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, with little Aaron McMahon wrapped up tightly in her arms. It was her first time backstage at the arena since she had gone on maternity leave several months before. Since the baby had been born, it felt as though life had become a whirlwind, with the business drifting farther and farther from her mind as caring for Aaron became her number one priority. Most of the baby weight had been lost, not that she had really gained much to begin with, but Rinoa still had a lot of curve to her in her hips, and her breasts were a bit bigger than they were before. Shane never thought she could look more attractive; Rinoa secretly figured that the change in her cup size might have had something to do with it. Shane did nothing to dissuade her suspicions.

They entered the arena like one big happy family, stopping and talking to production agents and technical workers who cooed and cawed over Aaron, who smiled wildly and gurgled at the adults who lavished him with attention while the adults talked about what was going on that night for the show.

They made their way into Vince's office for the night, where they were surprised by the Raw locker room, who cheered at their presence. Trish Stratus, dressed in a white halter and blue jeans, her bleached hair back in a high ponytail, stepped forward to be the first to examine Aaron. "Oh, my God, Noa," she gushed to Rinoa, a wide smile crossing her face. "He's so beautiful!"

"Thanks," Rinoa replied, blushing.

"Pictures don't do the little guy justice," Christy Hemme announced, stepping behind Trish to take a look. She was dressed up in a red bustier and black jeans, her red hair held back with a red bandana. Locking with Shane's wife, Trish rolled her eyes and Rinoa smiled. The first Diva Search winner annoyed Trish to no end. Rinoa understood; Christy Hemme annoyed the hell out of her, too. Secretly, she wished somebody would drug Christy's coffee with Ritalin or something.

"Where's Dad?" Shane asked, looking around the room for any sign of his father.

"He had to go take care of something with Stephanie and creative," Kane answered, stepping forward. He looked down at the child. "You do good work, Shane-O," he teased. Rinoa looked offended and Kane quickly retracted. "You, too. You, too. Don't kill me!" She laughed and he leaned down to let her kiss him on the cheek.

"Make way! Coming through! Move it or lose it, people!" she heard a voice shout. It was Chris Jericho, who was pushing through the crowd to get to Rinoa and the baby. He approached, smiling, and placed a kiss on Rinoa's cheek.

"This is my godson?" he asked. She nodded and handed the child to him. He began to protest that he was being taken away from his mother, but quickly silenced. He smiled.

"He's taken to you right away," Rinoa observed as Shane put an arm around her waist. Molly Holly, who was already in her ring gear of a blue corset and black pants, pulled out a camera and began to take pictures. "So who is behind this?" Rinoa asked.

"We all are," Victoria announced. "Seriously – how can we not do something for the little guy? This is so exciting!" She was sitting with Chris Jericho, and were both fawning over the baby.

Rinoa smiled. This was one of those moments that really made life worth living. And it definitely made her realize just how much she missed being in the ring.

It was like an impromptu party backstage when Vince finally arrived. He was a smiling grandfather, proud of his grandson and bragging and gushing about how precious he was to anybody who would listen. "Isn't he the cutest little thing?" Vince asked Trish, who nodded in agreement. Chris was seated on a couch, holding the child while Edge, Christian, Batista and Randy Orton were crowded around, admiring the little guy. Stacy Keibler, dressed in a tiny black miniskirt and a fuschia button-down shirt, was cutting cake for everyone to eat, shooting glances between Shane and Rinoa.

"How was Puerto Rico?" Rinoa asked. The company had just filmed its first pay-per-view _New Year's Revolution_ in Puerto Rico. The main event had been an Elimination Chamber match for the vacated World Heavyweight Championship, which Hunter had won, but not before creating some drama in the trio of Evolution between himself and Batista.

"After the initial snags, I think it went all right," Chris replied. Randy and Batista nodded in agreement. In the first two matches, Eugene and Lita were taken out of action with knee injuries. As much as Shane had wanted it, Rinoa had been unable to fly down to Puerto Rico; she hadn't quite been cleared to travel yet with Aaron and she was uncomfortable about leaving him with a babysitter. As it was, her nerves were twitching, telling her to take the child back from Chris. Being apart from her baby just drove her insane. She knew Shane must have been beside himself, too. In the last couple months, they hadn't had any time to themselves and Rinoa was always exhausted. Not that he ever complained; he loved his son. But he also knew that Rinoa needed time to herself on top of being a mother, too.

"Dave, you really ripped through everyone in that Chamber," Shane commented. Batista smiled. "Claustophobic much?"

"Was it that obvious?"

"We could hear you off camera beating the shit out of the glass," Shane laughed. "You can't be breaking that shit. Costs a lot to fix." They all laughed. "It's bad enough Hunter never gets the fucking memo." The room burst into laughter.

"I hate small spaces," he replied. He looked at Rinoa. "You're going crazy for your son, aren't you?"

"A little bit," she confessed. He smiled, taking the child from Chris and bringing him back over to Rinoa. He started to protest, but once he saw his mother he clutched to her tightly. Shane thought it was a beautiful sight. She looked up at Batista, flashing him a soft smile.

"I've got two girls myself. I know how it is," he replied with a smile. Shane gave Rinoa a kiss on the cheek.

"I've got to go run something over with Show," he whispered. "I'll be back, okay?" She nodded. "I love you."

"Love you too, Shane-O." He stood and left, Trish and Molly taking their spots on either side of her.

"He's so cute," Molly gushed. Raw was starting in a couple hours, giving them all plenty of time to go over their matches and visit with Rinoa. It had been months since the Divas had seen their good friend. Especially Trish. Trish had been the maid of honor at Rinoa's wedding; their friendship had gone back since Rinoa had signed with the WWF. Since then they had seen everything together, and had been through a lot more together in and out of the ring. Rinoa got along with Lita as well, however, they weren't half as close as she was with Trish. The girls all gushed over Rinoa's son as the guys all chatted about what was going on with their respective storylines. It was a great welcome back for Rinoa, who couldn't keep the smile from her face.


	2. Maternal Instincts

**Chapter Two: Maternal Instincts**

"Sorry, Cena, but _SmackDown_ has a new heartthrob on its roster," Theodore Long gushed as he inspected Aaron. John laughed good-naturedly while the two men fawned over the baby in Rinoa's arms. John was currently in the chase for the WWE Championship, hoping to gain the opportunity to face JBL at _WrestleMania 21_ at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The momentum of the United States Champion was phenomenal, with an entire horde of people behind him in support. He was, as it stood, the most popular man on the _SmackDown_ roster.

"Everyone at _Raw_ must have been ecstatic to see him," Cena replied. Rinoa nodded.

"It was great seeing everybody again," she confessed.

"I heard there were some complications," Cena said. She nodded.

"Nothing that couldn't be fixed," Rinoa replied. She stared down at her son. "All that matters is my son is healthy." The door opened and Shane trudged in, a wide grin on his face. "The smile on his face means one thing."

"What's that?" Cena asked.

"He sat in on a Diva's photo shoot," Rinoa replied. The men laughed and Shane gave his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"I miss the days when you used to do that," Shane replied. The guys laughed and Rinoa shook her head, smirking.

"The wedding ring on my finger means no _Playboy_, no lingerie shoots and definitely no website lingerie shoots." The guys chuckled. Shane took Aaron.

"You look exhausted, Noa. Why don't you get yourself a coffee and something to eat and we'll look after Aaron." Rinoa shook her head.

"Shane, I'm fine..."

"You need your own time, too, beautiful," Shane told her. "Go visit some friends and we'll all be here when you get back." She shot them a stare, but they all assured her they were fine and she went to get herself some coffee. She was exhausted anyways.

"Hey, Noa, mamacita!"

Rinoa turned around to see Eddie Guerrero smiling back at her. His smile was so infectious that a grin spread across her features. "Hey, Eddie," she said, giving him a hug. "How are you?"

"Great, great, mami," he said. "How about you? I heard there were some problems with your pregnancy."

"Everything's fine," she said. "I'm fine, and more importantly, Aaron is fine." Eddie smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that. Where is he?"

"In Teddy's office with Shane and Cena," Rinoa replied. "If you want to go visit him, you're more than welcome. I'm sure Shane would love to see you. We need an infectious smile like yours on _Raw,_ I tell you." Eddie grinned.

"And we need a hot _mamacita_ back on the WWE roster," Eddie replied. She laughed.

"Maybe when Aaron gets a little older," she confessed. "Right now, I just want to be near my son as much as possible. But Shane and the guys kicked me out...told me I needed some 'Mommy Time'." Eddie nodded.

"That is important. I know it's hard; when they're born, you don't want to even close your eyes. You just have to be close to them, know they're all right. But you need your own time, too." He gave her a hug. "I think I'll go see him. I'll probably see you around, _mamacita_."

"Bye, Eddie." She watched as he walked down the hallway. She resumed getting her coffee, turning and crashing into Kurt Angle, the coffee spilling a little onto her outfit. Sucking in a breath at the initial shock, Kurt smirked at her.

"Hello, _Noa_," he said to her, a grin on his face. "I heard you had a boy."

"Did you miss the 'Stay The Fuck Away From Me' memo or something?" she hissed. He smirked and in a flash, his hand was gripped tightly around her wrist.

"Ah, Noa. Things could have been different between the two of us if you had just given into the way things were."

"The way things were?" she hissed. "You stalked me and then you...you...you fucking raped me!" she hissed quietly.

"There you go again, making up your stories again," he told her, leaning in close. "If I recall correctly, you were pretty into it." Rinoa felt her stomach lurch. She knew there was a reason why she stayed the hell away from _SmackDown_. "The way you were thrashing and screaming and moaning...I still remember everything..." She felt a pang of panic.

"Get your hands off of me, Kurt. I'm warning you..."

"Or what? You're gonna play rough with me in front of all these people?" he asked, a small spittle of saliva running over his plump lip and running down his chin. "How about you take me to go see your son?" he asked. "We'll see if he has my eyes..."

"Son of a bitch!" she screamed, hurling her coffee into his face. He let out a cry of pain and as his head wheeled back towards her, she hit him in the jaw as hard as she could, staggering him back. "You motherfucker! You'll stay the hell away from my son!" She charged at him again, but she felt herself lifted under her sternum and being pulled away. "Come near him and I swear to God I'll fucking kill you!" she screamed. He just smiled back at her and she began to struggle against whoever was grabbing her, determined to take a round out of Kurt. She saw JBL approach Kurt Angle with Mr. McMahon and watched Kurt's face turn white as a sheet. That was all she saw as the dressing room door closed on her. She wheeled around to see the intense green eyes of The Undertaker.

"Easy, Killer, it's just me."

"My son..." She put a hand to her head and tried to make her way to the door. "I have to get to my son..." Taker put a hand on the door and kept it shut.

"Not yet. We're going to calm you down first," he said. "You're going to explain to me what the fuck just happened with Kurt Angle...again....and then you're going to explain to me why nobody said fuck all to me about you bringing the kid here." She sighed.

"Sorry, Deadman," she said, hugging him tightly. "Shane and I kinda just decided to stop in as a surprise. Nobody knew." He hugged her back; she refused to let him go at the moment. He always seemed to know how to calm her down.

"What happened with Kurt?"

"I knew there was a reason I never come to _SmackDown_," she told him. He chuckled. "It was just the typical bullshit...but then he said he was going to see Aaron...and I snapped. I just...I would have died in the process of making sure he never sets his disgusting, perverted eyes on my son." He felt something strange resonating from her. He could read her like a book. There was a sneaking suspicion that Rinoa hated it, but nothing got past the Deadman.

"What else was said?"

"Taker..."

"Noa, spit it out. What did he say to make you toss coffee at him?"

She sighed. "He said he wanted to see if my son had his eyes..." The thought gave her the shivers. She saw the dark glare cross over his features and she felt scared for a split second.

"Disgusting motherfucker," Taker spat. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she snapped. "I just want to see my son. I don't want the scumsucking asshole anywhere near my son." She took a deep breath.

"I heard there were some complications." She nodded.

"I slipped, I fell and I induced labor," Rinoa replied. "I also started bleeding, and they couldn't figure out where it was coming from, so they had to do a C-section. Everything's fine though." She sighed. "It was definitely scary...and if you thought it was scary for me, I could only imagine poor Hunter and Stephanie trying to rush me to the hospital and Shane trying to make it back to New York in time to make delivery." Taker chuckled.

"Sounds chaotic."

"Nothing about my life can be calm. Didn't you just see what happened in catering?" Taker laughed. There was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?"

The door opened and JBL walked in with Vince and Shane. "Where's Aaron?" Rinoa asked, instantly panicked. Vince held up a hand.

"He's fine," he replied. "Eddie, Teddy, Cena and Rey are all with him with strict orders not to let anyone into the office. We need to talk to you." She nodded and they sat down. There was an awkward silence.

"Are you all right, Rinoa?" JBL asked. He gently took hold of her wrist and lifted it to examin the redness around her wrist from where he had grabbed her. She took her hand away, nodding. "That was a hell of an outburst," he said. She nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"What happened?" Shane asked. "What did he say to you?" She looked in her husband's eyes. Her eyes went to everyone else before going back to Shane. She couldn't tell him; she felt terrible that everybody kept getting dragged into things with this man.

"I can't," Rinoa replied, shaking her head. Taker looked at her.

"Noa, you have to tell them what happened."

"I can't...if I do, this is just going to keep going."

"If you don't, this is going to keep going," Shane replied tersely. "So, out with it, honey. What happened?"

"He cornered me at catering and told me he heard I had a boy...and he started telling me that things could have been different between us..." She hung her head, resting it in her hands, running it through her hair. "He brought up...um...what happened...and insinuated that I was into it and that I made everything up." She sighed, shaking. Shane put an arm around her as she shivered against him. "When I told him to get lost or else, he asked if I was going to get rough with him in front of everyone and then..." She was in tears at this point as she looked at Taker. "I can't...Shane can't hear this..."

"Can't hear what?" Shane asked. Her eyes were pleading with Taker, who felt sympathy, but knew it had to come out.

"Noa, you've got to tell them. Nobody's going to blame you for what you did after he said that."

"Said what?" Shane asked, his tone rising. Rinoa stared him in the eyes. She saw anger in his eyes, anger that softened when he saw the pain and the humiliation in her eyes.

"He said that I should take him to see Aaron...he wanted to see if..." She sighed again. "He said he wanted to see if Aaron had his eyes..."

"Motherfucker..." Shane was on his feet in seconds, with Vince and JBL holding him in place.

"Don't you even think about it, Shane," JBL said. "You sit with your wife and comfort her. Mr. McMahon, I'd like permission to give Angle another lesson in the ring tonight."

"Granted."

"Be extra stiff with him," Taker said. "Jericho and I beat the motherfucker within inches of his life when everything happened and he clearly hasn't gotten the picture." JBL nodded and seconds later, Shane was right behind him. Rinoa hung her head in her hands.

Vince and Linda volunteered to take Aaron for the night to give Rinoa a break. She was still visibly shaken from her confrontation with Kurt Angle, and Shane was so angry that he had hardly said two words to Rinoa. It was difficult going back to the hotel in silence. She was convinced he blamed her for the entire situation. For a split second, she was worried that he had believed what Kurt was insinuating. She wondered what it must be like for Kurt Angle, so trapped in a fantasy of violence and lust that he hasn't gotten a life of his own.

Rinoa went upstairs and took a shower, running her finger along the still raw looking C-section scar the doctors had been forced to cut. She felt the tears burning behind her eyelids. _Why did I have to go to SmackDown of all places tonight? _She thought bitterly to herself. _Goddamn that son of a bitch! Why can't this all just be over?_ Turning the taps off, she climbed out, draping a towel around her frame and staring in the mirror. It was all she could do to keep herself from crying as the events of that night came back to her.

_"That's funny," she said to herself, making her way towards the open back door. "I could have sworn I closed that..." _

_She felt his arms around her, one around her sternum, one around her neck as he dragged her back towards the living room. "Don't struggle," he whispered. She could feel his breath on her neck as she continued to struggle and fight against going back into the living room with him. The scent of his cologne danced on her senses as she bit into his arm. "Fuck!" he shouted, and with a heavy toss, she felt herself thrown over the couch. She struggled to brace for the fall, but landed horizontally across the table, feeling her neck crunch as her head sank from the table and hit the floor, her body weight compressing on top. She could still remember his scent as he was on top of her in a flash, struggling to get her pajama bottoms off. _

Rinoa shook her head, the tears flowing freely. _Great, all that time in therapy gone to waste. _She stared at herself in the mirror, his words dancing in her head. "Let's see if he has my eyes." The words gave her the chills. Rinoa still knew how fortunate it was that she hadn't gotten pregnant after everything had happened. Shane could withstand a lot, and had withstood a lot to be with her, but she wondered if he could have gotten past that. She leaned over and grabbed her baby blue cotton nightgown off of the door hook, sliding it over her head and hanging the towel back up behind the door. The sinking feeling was back in the pit of her stomach, but this time it was because she knew she had to go lay with Shane, who was obviously still agitated over the events of the night.

Shane lay in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. The water had stopped running what had seemed like ages ago, but she still hadn't come into the room. He sighed, rolling onto his side. All the pent up rage and frustration was making it difficult to sleep. Every time Kurt Angle managed to communicate with Rinoa, he felt like a failure as a husband. He had done everything he could and everybody had beaten lessons into the man, but Kurt Angle did not seem to want to get the picture, and it was driving him crazy. Tonight had pissed him off completely; how dare he even try and wish that Aaron was his and Rinoa's? After everything he had put Rinoa through, he wished Kurt would just evaporate, disappear into the middle of the Earth, never to be heard from again. He was also pissed off that Kurt would insinuate that Rinoa had made everything up. For as long as he lived, Shane knew he would never forget the carnage he had been greeted with when he had finally made it into the house to pack her things. There was no way she was making it up.

_Shane ignored the intense wave of nausea in his stomach and tore down the crime scene tape before he unlocked the front door of the house. Rinoa was seemingly doing all right post-surgery, though it was uncomfortable for her to move around. Shane was just thankful that she had gotten into surgery quickly and they had managed to relieve a lot of pressure that she had been feeling. Kurt had done a number on her, enough to make Rinoa not even want to look him in the eyes._

_Entering the house, he felt his heart crack down the middle. He saw her pajama bottoms strewn on the hardwood and he felt disgusted. There was a small spot of blood on the floor that made his stomach lurch. He wondered if it was Kurt's or if it was Rinoa's, but he decided quickly enough that he didn't want to know. There was nothing he could do to ever make this up to her. It was as though he had failed her in the worst way. How could she ever trust him again?_

_There was a thick liquid stain that smelled strongly of sugar in the hardwood that hadn't been wiped up and popcorn and kernels with a tipped over pink bowl all over the floor. Shane figured she must have been having a movie night alone when it had happened. It was taking everything he could to fight the urge to cry for everything that had gone wrong. He thought of Rinoa undergoing emergency surgery, of Rinoa writhing and fighting under the rotten son of a bitch, probably hoping at any second he would burst through the door and save her like some kind of knight in shining armor. And he hadn't; he had been thirty seven thousand feet high in the air, on his way to see her as a nice early surprise. How was he ever going to live that down? He couldn't expect her to want to be with him after this; he had let her down. And he had a world of people he knew he had to answer to. _

_Prying his eyes away from the carnage, he slowly made his way up the stairs to go and pack her things before she made the flight to New York with him. _

Shane sighed. After all these years, he had never really gotten every last thing out. Never really learned how to move past everything. Sure, he had gone to therapy a few times with Rinoa, but he had never really been able to exonerate himself from all the guilt he felt. Instead, he had just kept his mouth shut and had focused on making a good life for him and Rinoa, and now Aaron. There was still the thought in his mind that if he made everybody happy, then maybe one day he could be forgiven for not being there at that moment. But Kurt's comment had terrified him; what would have happened had Rinoa become pregnant? Would they have lasted? The thoughts scared him beyond belief. The idea of not having Rinoa around and not having the life they had together was his worst fear. He loved her more than life itself, and he knew he would give everything to make life with her work. He rolled back onto his back before rolling back on his side. It was going to be a long night.

He heard the bedroom door open and close, the room encased in a narrow beam of light before becoming dark yet again. He felt her soft footsteps padding along the floor and the blankets get pulled back before she settled in beside him. He could smell her shampoo; the bath lotions on her skin. He rolled over and pulled her closer to him. "Noa?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

She sighed. "I'm okay. Are you okay?"

"I guess so."

"I'm sorry about everything that happened tonight," she said. He could hear her sniffling; was she crying? _What the hell is she crying for?_

"You shouldn't be apologizing. He should be apologizing." She nestled into his neck. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I'm all right," she replied. "I guess it just made me think about things I didn't want to think about anymore." He nodded.

"I know." He ran his hands through her hair. "I love you, Rinoa."

"I love you, too." She sighed. "Shane, how delusional is he? I mean, does anybody really think I made the entire thing up?"

Shane shook his head. "The people who matter know it. Steve and I...we saw the carnage, Noa. There's no way you made it up. You had to have surgery for God's sake. You had to undergo therapy, you had to deal with the bullshit of Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson and identifying him and naming names. It was a horrible situation, Noa...and it made you a lot stronger. Stronger than me."

"I don't know about that," she said with a sigh. "I think anyone else in your position could have cracked. I just never wanted you to see me like that." She ran her fingers through his hair. "I guess he's got us both thinking about everything, huh?" Shane nodded. "You still feel guilty over everything, don't you?" Shane didn't answer and she sighed. "Shane, honey, it was four years ago."

"I know." He sighed. "You remember the night I met your parents the first time?"

"Yeah. After _WrestleMania X-Seven _when Kurt showed up at the restaurant."

"And when your dad and I went outside?"

"Yeah."

"I never really told you what he said to me."

"Well, what did he say?"

"He made me promise to protect you from Angle. And I promised...and I failed, Noa. It bugs me to see your parents every time and know that I failed to protect you from that asshole." She sighed.

"Shane, honey, you have to let it go. The guilt is going to kill you otherwise." She rested her hands on his cheeks and stared him in the eyes. "Shane, you have to believe me here: I don't hold you responsible for what happened. This was not your fault. It wasn't my fault, either. Kurt...he has some screws loose. He has something going on in his head that's a bit sinister.

"Baby, you've got to let this go. You can't get hung up about where you were or what you promised. My parents don't hold you responsible, and you shouldn't be beating yourself up like you were." He nodded. "I love you, Shane, and I know it'll take some time, but promise me you'll stop holding yourself responsible for Kurt Angle."

He nodded. "I promise." He leaned in and gave her a kiss. She sighed into it, wrapping her arms around him.


	3. Backstage

**Chapter Three: Backstage**

Rinoa was all smiles when she walked backstage the following Monday, dressed down in a pair of black slacks and a black V-necked quarter sleeved sweater. Linda had volunteered to watch Aaron while she took a meeting with Vince regarding her career, and what she was going to do now that she had Aaron. Linda had volunteered to watch after Aaron while Rinoa attended her meeting, and even if she wanted to get back in the ring, but Rinoa didn't feel right pawning the responsibility off on the grandparents. At least for the first year anyways.

Leaving the business behind was harder than she thought. Last week had brought back a huge amount of feelings for her, and overall, she knew that she missed the business. She was pretty sure that Shane and the rest of the McMahon family picked up on it as well. It was hard to just walk away, and say that she'd come back here and there. She missed the lights, the music, the roar of the fans, the adrenaline rush.

Standing in front of Vince's door, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. No matter how long she'd been married to Shane, Vince was still an imposing figure to her, even though he went out of his way to make her feel like part of the family. The man was just larger than life in her eyes.

"Come on in," she heard him call from the other side of the door. She turned the doorknob and walked into the office, where Vince was loomed over paperwork on his desk. He looked up as she closed the door. "Hello, Rinoa. You look great."

Rinoa laughed. "You are great for my ego, Dad." Vince cocked an eyebrow. "Shane is, too. Get the look off your face." Vince laughed and she sat down in the chair across from his desk. She brushed off the feeling that she was sitting in the principal's office, in trouble for something. Vince studied her expression. "What exactly is the meeting about?"

"I think you know."

"Dad, I'm not ready to get back into the swing of things just yet. Christ, Aaron's not even teething yet."

"Look, Rinoa, it would be a shame to lose your talents. I'm not saying you have to get back in the ring this second, or even consider it. I raised two kids of my own, you know...I know it's not easy to leave them behind." She nodded. "I also know it's harder for women in this business because motherhood is generally not an option when you're thinking about longevity." He leaned back in his chair.

"So what are you proposing?"

"Well, I don't know if Shane has told you yet, but we're starting to think about revamping WWE Magazine. Taking it from two monthly magazines down to one magazine per month."

"Cost-cutting measures?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. "I thought we sell both steadily."

"We sell _Raw_ way better than we do _SmackDown_," he confided. "Anyways, that's not what I'm thinking. I'm thinking of a magazine that breaks kayfabe of sorts. Where Superstars and Divas can give advice, give out recipes, where we review movies and music and video games, other things that our WWE fans are into."

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Rinoa said. "Shane hasn't told me anything about that. He hasn't really been talking business with me since I had Aaron."

"Also, I need another favor from you."

"What's that?"

"We're bringing back the Diva Search this year..."

"Oh hell no," Rinoa laughed. "I'm starting to think you like torturing me."

"I value your input," Vince said. Rinoa shook her head. "I do! This is not about torture. I want you to help me pick the finalist's this year."

"Like I did last year. What was the point? The one I liked didn't even win!" Rinoa shook her head. "Biggest Slut wins the contest."

"More or less," Vince agreed with a chuckle.

"So any new Divas on the timetable this year?" she asked. "Outside of the Diva Search and the rejects you probably will hire post-contest." Vince chuckled.

"Always nice to see your wit is still sharp, Rinoa." He nodded. "We've got our eye on a couple young women in OVW. Beth Phoenix and Mickie James are my top two. Also, in about three months we're bringing up a new tag team with a manager."

"Oh yeah? Dish."

"They call themselves MNM. Mercury, Nitro and Melina. Two of them were from the _Tough Enough _contest."

"Did any of them win it?"

"I get your point. And yes...Mr. Nitro won it. Melina, on the other hand, didn't make it through." She nodded.

"Nice to see she stuck it out," Rinoa replied. "We could always use more Divas who want more than some nice photo spreads and money for implants." Vince cocked an eyebrow. "Come on, Dad...seriously...don't tell me you haven't taken a step back now and then and thought, 'What the hell is she still doing here'?" Vince chuckled.

"Not right now, I don't," he confessed. "Right now, everybody seems to be built into a nice little niche. Which I plan to completely fuck up with the draft in the next four months or so." She laughed. He stopped laughing and looked at her. "It's not really over for you, is it? You still miss it."

"I do," she confessed. "I miss standing out in the lights, with the crowd loving me. I miss being here to keep Randy Orton in line..." Vince laughed. "I miss being on the road with Shane all the time and having a night out with Taker and Kane and Chris. I miss it all."

"Why don't you do what Shane does?" Vince asked. "Come back for an angle here and there when the itch gets to be too much, and then go about your life till you need another fix."

"You make me sound like a junkie," she laughed.

"We're all adrenaline junkies, Rinoa," he told her. "That's why we're here and not working white collar jobs in cubicles with computers." She nodded. "Anyways, this magazine meeting is in Stamford, and Linda said she'll watch Aaron while you take meetings about the new direction. I want to put you in charge. Shane, unfortunately, and Stephanie can't take care of everything themselves. And since you seem to go stir crazy, I thought this would be a nice pet project for you." She smiled.

"Thanks, Dad. I'll take the ball and run with it."

"That's what I like to hear."

"Am I still stuck on Diva Duty this year though?"

"Yes. You are." Her shoulders slumped and he laughed. "Anyways, that's not until after _WrestleMania_, which, by the way, I would like to talk to you about as well."

"What's up with the Hall of Fame?"

"I need you to let Randy know that his father is being inducted this year." Her eyes widened.

"What? That's awesome. He's going to be so excited!" She stopped. "Wait – why am I telling him? Hasn't his dad told him?"

"His dad doesn't know yet. I'm actually going to call him and tell him tonight. I would like you to tell Randy tonight as well...since you seem to wear the hard hat with him so much, I thought for once you'd like to have a pleasant talk with him." She laughed and stood to her feet.

"I'll go do that now, Dad. He'll be thrilled."

"Great. I knew I could count on you to do that." She flashed her father in law a smile before letting herself out of the office.

"What am I going to do with you, Randall?"

Randy turned his head to see Rinoa staring at him, her eyes fixed on him with that familiar exasperated look on his face. He cocked an eyebrow. "What did I do now?"

"I just can't turn my back on you without you harassing or traumatizing some poor woman here," she said, shaking her head. "I don't know what to do with you, Randy. Vince wants me to tell you to see him in his office, and I'm worried that you may have just done it this time."

"Look, she's been rubbing everyone the wrong way..." Randy tried to say in his defense. She cocked an eyebrow.

"Who?"

"What?"

"I was just screwing with you. Who are you victimizing now?"

"Nobody. What?"

She smiled. "Vince wanted me to let you know that your dad is going into the Hall of Fame this year." Randy's eyes widened.

"No fucking way!"

"Yes fucking way. He's calling your dad right now as we speak." Randy smiled and grabbed onto Rinoa, swinging her in the air. She laughed as he hugged her tightly, jumping up and down.

"Quit manhandling my wife!"

Randy put her down and they both turned to see Shane, a smirk on his features and a cocked eyebrow. "We can't turn our backs on you for a second, Orton. You're like a fucking four year old." Randy flashed him the middle finger and Shane laughed. "So what's so great that you had to swing my wife about like a ragdoll?"

"My dad's going into the Hall of Fame this year!" Randy exclaimed. Shane cocked an eyebrow.

"The votes have been tallied already?" he inquried. Rinoa shrugged.

"Must be. He told me to tell Randy himself." Shane nodded.

"Congratulations. That's huge news, man," he said, slapping hands and hugging Randy. He hugged his wife. "I was thinking about taking off early and getting some dinner, Noa. Did you want to come with and fill me on your meeting with Dad?" She nodded.

"Sure. I'll meet you in Vince's office," she said. "I have to talk to Randy about one more thing." Shane cocked an eyebrow, but knew better than to argue with Rinoa.

"Sure thing," he said. He kissed the top of her head. "See you around, Orton."

"You too, McMahon." Shane disappeared down the hall and Randy set his eyes on Rinoa.

"Who is she, Randy?"

"Who?"

"Don't bullshit with me here, Orton. Who is the Diva that's rubbing everyone the wrong way here? I'm going to either hear it from you or from the Diva when you eventually drive her out of here, and I would rather hear it from you. Who is she?"

He sighed. "It's a _SmackDown_ Diva."

"I'm amazed there's any Divas left over there after the way you hazed Rochelle."

"I stand by my actions," he told her. She sighed; sometimes she really wondered if she got through to him.

"Who is it, Orton?"

"Amy Weber." She sighed.

"JBL's image consultant?" Rinoa didn't want to admit it, but she was definitely surprised. It was no secret that JBL was protective of those who worked for him.

"He's even in on it...to a degree," Randy said. "Her whining's been driving all of us crazy."

"She's just not used to this life, Randy. It's not easy being a woman in this business...especially when you're struggling to learn the ropes...and have the stigma of being a Diva Search reject." Randy cocked an eyebrow.

"Since when are you the Diva Search Advocate?"

"Look, you and I both know I don't like this contest. None of the other Divas do, either. But we get it...because if things would have been that easy for three quarters of these girls, then they would have jumped the gun without a second thought. When you're here, Randy, you have to play nice, play ball, or you get sent home...and I don't want to see that happen." She sighed. "I love you like a brother, Randy...but truthfully, I don't even think my words are getting through to you." She shook her head and walked away, leaving him dumbfounded in the hallway.

"What's the matter, Noa?"

"Hmm?" She stared up at Shane's concerned face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when my wife doesn't say two words and just pushes the food on her plate around...well, anyone can see something's up." He leaned back in his seat. They were at a small restaurant on the outskirts of town, and had already signed their autographs and taken their pictures for the staff and the people inside. "So, what's up? What did Randy say? Do I need to go beat his ass?"

She laughed. "No, no..." She stared out the window and sighed. "It's just...I have to wear the hard hat with him all the time, and I'm starting to wonder if he ever really hears a damn thing I say."

"Noa, you can't be too hard on yourself. He's an adult and he knows that every action has a reaction." He sighed. Shane knew that Orton was spiraling out of control pretty fast, and there was a lot that Orton hadn't told Rinoa, and a lot that Shane didn't want Rinoa to know. Randy was becoming more and more verbally abusive and abrasive to the people backstage, and the feeling internally was that Randy wasn't going to hold another championship until he got his act together. Vince was even talking about sending Randy to _SmackDown_, a place many of the top guys considered the minor leagues, in hopes of waking him up a little bit.

"I know. It's just...I'm so close to him...and I've had to keep him in line for so long that it's like...where did I go wrong with him?"

"Listen to you, Noa. You sound like his mother," Shane chuckled. "You can't take responsibility for all of Randy's shortcomings. He has to do that. He's still young; he's got a lot of stupid shit to make up for, and he's still got a lot of stupid shit to do. He'll get his shit together one day. We just have to have faith that he doesn't do something so absolutely despicable that it makes us get rid of him." She nodded.

"There is a good guy there," she told Shane. He nodded. But at the same time he was wondering if she was trying to convince herself more than him.


	4. Royal Rumble

**Chapter Four: Royal Rumble **

"Back up! Give him some space!" Shane barked. Several officials helped Vince backstage, who wasn't screaming in pain considering what had just happened to him in the ring.

"At least Batista and Cena knew to keep going," Stephanie mused. She peered over the sea of people. "Where the hell is the ambulance?" she shouted.

"We need everyone to clear the way so we can get Mr. McMahon to the ambulance port!" Pat Patterson shouted. "So everybody, back up!" Rinoa noticed John Cena and the _Royal Rumble _ winner Batista standing further back, staring with concern at their boss. He had trudged out to the ring to restart the rumble match after Batista and Cena had simultaneously fallen out of the ring, resulting in a double elimination. But when Vince got into the ring, he collapsed. He was sure that he had torn his quadriceps muscles, and it surprised Rinoa that all it took was one wrong step for it to happen. Triple H could attest that it was reality, though, having already missed nine months a few years ago with the same thing. Randy Orton's apparent downfall was creating enough room for Batista to slide through, as a face turn for him seemed evident. Evolution was falling apart at the seams, two years after Triple H's brain child had come to fruition. In what was supposed to be Randy Orton vs. Triple H for the championship, it was now becoming increasingly apparent that Orton would not be in a title match at all; instead Batista would fill the main event slot.

The people began to disperse and everybody began getting Vince to the ambulance dock. It had been a relatively good night on the injury front, with only Vince being the most serious. Randy Orton, however, had given himself a concussion in the ring with Triple H when he had failed to hit a DDT. He seemed to be all right, but things had definitely been awkward with them since their last discussion. Rinoa hated it. She hated having to be the one to keep Randy in line, because she always felt like a failure when he stepped out of it.

Aaron was in the Divas locker room, with Trish Stratus volunteering to look after Aaron while Rinoa went and made sure her father-in-law was all right. Molly Holly, Victoria and Christy Hemme were also there to make sure that nobody came around Aaron who wasn't supposed to. Most people would dismiss the Divas as the weaker sex, but Victoria, Molly and Trish were definitely women who could scrap if need be. Rinoa was always thankful that when the chips were down, the Divas locker room was always there for her. And she always tried to be there for them.

"Where's Aaron?" Shane asked.

"Diva's locker room. Trish volunteered to watch him while I came and made sure Dad was okay." He nodded.

"I'll go get him," Shane told her, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "You head with Stephanie to the hospital." Rinoa nodded and rushed off to join Stephanie and Hunter while Shane went the opposite direction towards the locker room.

"Man, what luck to pop two of them at the same time," Hunter mused. Shane, Stephanie and Hunter were in a cafe at five in the morning. Rinoa had long since gone back to the hotel to make sure that Aaron got some sleep.

"Tell me about it," Shane sighed. "Looks like our workload's doubled backstage, Steph." The two McMahon children groaned. Vince would be undergoing surgery on Tuesday to repair the damage.

"I miss having Rinoa around at these coffees," Stephanie mused. Shane nodded.

"I'm amazed that she's been out traveling so much with Aaron," Hunter said. Shane sighed.

"She's not ready to let all of this go," Shane said. "She thought she was, but since she came back for her visit...she misses it all. She misses the lights, the feuds, the drama, the adrenaline. And I don't know what to really say to her to make her feel better that she's staying home with Aaron while I'm out giving the roster alcohol poisoning." Hunter laughed.

"I don't think there's anything that you can say to make her feel better when you put it like that." Stephanie nodded in agreement, chuckling as she sipped on her coffee.

"It's great that she's doing all this backstage stuff," Stephanie said. "I mean, Dad's been trying to pawn the magazine stuff off on me for months now."

"Rinoa is trying to keep herself from going stir-crazy. Aaron isn't really a demanding baby," Shane said. "He just cries when he either wants changed or wants to be fed. His sleep schedule is steadily improving. He's so good that Noa has nothing to do with herself a lot of the time."

"Mom did volunteer to watch after Aaron. Why isn't she taking her up on the offer?"

"She wants to wait until Aaron's a little bit older. She also doesn't want everyone to feel like she's pawning Aaron off on them so she can resume her career."

"It's not pawning the child off when the grandparents want to see their grandchild more," Hunter said with a roll of his eyes.

"She doesn't see it that way," Shane said. "What I can tell you, is that it's going to be hard separating her from Aaron for a week."

"What for?" Stephanie asked, with a cocked eyebrow. Shane smiled.

"Well, I already booked the time off in July, but I'm taking her on a second honeymoon. Can you believe her and I have already been married for almost four years?" Stephanie smiled.

"She'll love that. Where are you taking her?"

"I have no idea. But our honeymoon was in Japan, where I had to do a business presentation. I know she must have hated that, but she endured it, so I want to take her somewhere where for an entire week she doesn't have to worry about what's going on in the business."

"I'll look after Aaron if you'd like," Stephanie volunteered. Shane cocked an eyebrow. She smiled. "Hunter and I are thinking about starting a family soon...and I'd like the practice with a kid."

"I don't know if that's reassuring," Shane laughed. He smiled. "I appreciate the offer, Steph, and I just might have to take you up on that." He checked his watch. "Well, I should be getting back to the hotel. I want to see my wife before I have to be back at the arena in eight hours." Stephanie and Hunter nodded as Shane made it to his feet and out of the cafe.

Rinoa was passed out on the couch, the remote on the arm rest. The morning news was on, some British blonde in a striped turtleneck and black slacks rambling on about the weather. Aaron was fast asleep in his crib that the hotel had provided. Unbuttoning his coat and hanging it over a nearby chair, he slid his shoes off and sat down on the couch beside Rinoa. She stirred at the shift in weight on the couch and slowly came awake. "Shane," she yawned. "What happened?"

"Dad goes in for surgery on Tuesday. He completely tore both of them."

"Jesus. How is he?"

"In surprisingly good spirits considering."

"That's good to hear."

"Did Aaron get to sleep all right?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Believe it or not, no," Rinoa replied. "I had a hell of a time getting him to sleep tonight. Maybe he sensed there was some excitement or something." Shane put his arm around her and she rested her head against his shoulder. "You must be exhausted." He shook his head.

"Caught my second wind at about three," he told her. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Noa."

"I love you too, Shane O'Mac," she said and they both giggled. "Hell of a nickname there, Shane." He laughed.

"It's from high school," he told her. "So is the Shuffle."

"Oh, Lord," she laughed. "I'm sure you must have annoyed a lot of gym teachers."

"Poke fun if you must," he told her, "But it sure came in handy during dodgeball." She laughed, prompting a chuckle to escape his lips. A whimper came from the crib, before a long squeal. "Good going, hon. Now you woke him up."

"Oh, shut up," she laughed. She went to stand, but he motioned for her to stay seated and he stood, going to the crib and lifting Aaron out. He made his way back to the couch and she took him from Shane and prepped him for feeding. He gave her a kiss. "He's starting to sleep longer and longer now," Rinoa replied. "He should sleep through the night anytime now." She sighed. "I'm sure dragging him all the way out here helps his sleep pattern." Shane smirked.

"Would you relax?" Shane gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Aaron is fine. Oh, by the way, I'm supposed to tell you I talked to Rodney and Chelsea." Chelsea was Rodney's girlfriend.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. They said they'll look after Aaron for _WrestleMania_ weekend," Shane said. "Since I've got to be there and you're still contractually obligated to be there." She laughed. "They said it's not a problem."

"Okay," she replied. "I should give them a call and thank them for offering." Shane smiled.

"I can't wait for _WrestleMania _weekend. You should see some of the set designs that have come up to Dad for approval."

"Any favorites?"

"Yeah. The entire set is like a movie theatre with a red carpet, theatre screen for the Tron, and a marquee on the side for the matches happening." Rinoa nodded. Aaron began to whimper and she switched sides.

"That sounds amazing."

"Well, you saw the Eugene commercial they aired through the _Royal Rumble_. Apparently, there's like ten more like it that they're going to debut every week leading up to _WrestleMania_."

"That's amazing."

"The legal team's also hammering out some last minute details to get Motorhead to come back this year to do Hunter's theme."

"What about Batista?"

"Well, Dad said they've tapped Saliva to do a new version of his theme, but they still have to write, re-compose and record it, so there's no guarantee they'll have it ready by _WrestleMania_. We'll probably wind up debuting it around May-June, tops." She nodded. "Should be good, though. Saliva always comes through with the goods for us."

"Dad's got me on Diva Search Duty again this year," she told him. He laughed. "It's not funny!" Shane stopped laughing, a few chuckles still escaping here and there.

"Hey... he just values your opinion," Shane said. "And, even though you hate this contest...you're still a little more veiled about it than most." She sighed.

"I just feel terrible to know I'm diluting a talent pool I worked so hard to get into," she said. Shane laughed. Aaron cried and Shane took him from Rinoa while she readjusted her top.

"That's one way to look at it. Think of it this way...if you bond with the winner, you could help her become something more than a Terri Runnels." Rinoa laughed. "Come on...give some of these women credit. Look at that backstage interviewer, Maria. She wanted in so bad, after she got voted out, she bombarded our office with calls." Rinoa smiled. "For every Carmella, Rochelle and Lauren, there's a Christy, a Maria and a Candice, women who want to learn the craft and get better." Shane sighed. "Remember, the ones who don't want to be here get weeded out very fast." She nodded.

"I know. _Tough Enough_ sure wound up being a dud, huh?" she asked.

"Not really," Shane replied. "Puder is a dud. We got big hopes for Mizanin. We sent him down to Memphis to get himself rounded out before we send him to OV." She nodded.

"The runner up, right?"

"Yeah."

"I thought he should have won it, between you and I," Rinoa replied. "The guy has so much personality he just has to garner a reaction." Shane nodded.

"Like Christy Hemme." She rolled her eyes and took her son, standing to her feet to go change his diaper.

"How did I know you were going there?" Shane chuckled and she disappeared into the bathroom.


	5. Stir Crazy

**Chapter Five: Stir Crazy**

Rinoa and Aaron sat on the couch. _Raw _ and _SmackDown_ were filming in Japan this week, and Shane had left two days early to partake in the festivities with JBL, John Cena, Hunter, Stephanie and Batista. _No Way Out _was right around the corner, with JBL taking on Big Show in a Barbed Wire Steel Cage match, and Rinoa still felt the itch. At the moment, she was on the couch, with Aaron in her lap, watching an old tape during the days of the Alliance. "Look, Aaron – there's Daddy," she said, pointing to Shane shuffling on the ramp. He was about to have a street fight against his father. Aaron looked up at his mother, as if he didn't understand a word she'd said to him, before reaching up and grabbing a lock of her hair. The doorbell rang and Rinoa cocked an eyebrow; she wasn't expecting anybody. Readjusting a fascinated Aaron in her arms, she made her way to the door and opened it to find Linda at the door, with Vince in a wheelchair.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought you guys were going to Japan, too," she said, stepping aside to let them enter. Vince shook his head.

"We decided at the last minute to just let Steph, Hunter and Shane take the reigns," he said. "And since we knew you were alone with Aaron, we thought we'd come over and keep you company and make dinner." Vince heard his music and looked at the television as they made their way back to the couch. He cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't understand why you didn't go to Japan, Rinoa," Vince said, wheeling himself into the living room more. He couldn't wait until he'd be able to get back on his feet permenantly.

"I have Aaron," she reminded him. He laughed.

"So?"

"So...he needs stability...and flying around the world isn't stable for him."

"You know we'd watch him," Vince said.

"He's still so young," Rinoa told him. "When he's a little older I'll resume some kind of a career, but until then..."

"Until then you're satisfied watching old tapes of yourself and wishing you were still under the lights with the crowd cheering?" Vince asked.

"The first six months are important, Dad," she told him. "At least for the first six months I want to be there for Aaron. Maybe by then the itch will go away."

"The itch never goes away, Rinoa," Vince told her. "Ask Hogan, Austin, Steamboat. They will tell you that sometimes you just have to make an appearance, do something to quench it."

"You're not helping me here."

"Do you have anything out for dinner?" Linda asked. "I'll get it started."

"Yeah. I've got some beef thawing on the counter."

"Why don't I take my grandson and you go help Linda in the kitchen?" he said. "I'm sure you can use to talk to someone who can talk back." She laughed and put Aaron in Vince's arms. It never ceased to amaze her just how much of a doting grandfather Vince was. Aaron didn't know it yet, but he definitely had Vince wrapped around his finger.

Joining Linda in the kitchen, she noticed Linda was in the fridge, pulling out vegetables. "Stir fry sound okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Rinoa replied, getting the cutting board and a sharp knife.

"Did you have something else planned with this?" Linda asked. Rinoa shrugged.

"To be honest, I haven't even really thought about dinner."

"The joys of parenting," Linda replied with a laugh. "I remember going through all of that with both Shane and Stephanie. You're so busy doting on the kid you forget about your health...and when the men are traveling around God's Earth doing God knows what..." Rinoa laughed as Linda handed her some celery. Rinoa began cutting them up as Linda started the beef. "Just remember, Rinoa, if you get too unhappy, an in ring return is never an issue. You know Vince and I would be more than happy to spend more time with Aaron." She smiled.

"I know. I just don't want him to feel like he's being pawned off on grandparent to grandparent. And I don't want anyone to feel like he's become a burden."

"That's our grandson, Rinoa. We would never feel that way about him." Linda gave her daughter-in-law a hug. "I understand if you want to wait until he gets a little bit older. That's understandable. You don't want to miss any firsts. It's a natural parent thing. But if you ever feel like you need some sanity by being back, then come back." Rinoa nodded.

"Thanks, Linda."

_Meanwhile, in Japan..._

__Shane sat alone in the bar, sipping on a bottle of beer. The show had gone off without a hitch, and the Japanese investors were happy with the additional revenue that WWE had brought into their economy. Stephanie and Hunter had long since retired back to their hotels, as did most of the Superstars and Divas. But Shane couldn't sleep. His body clock hadn't had time to adjust yet. And most of all, he hated being a continent away from Rinoa and Aaron.

He admired what Rinoa was doing, forsaking everything to keep Aaron stable and with at least one parent. It was so selfless, something he didn't think he could do. He knew it was bothering Rinoa to walk away from the business for even a short amount of time. She knew that Aaron needed at least one of his parents, since Shane was so busy all the time.

This wasn't a business for women. It just asked too much. It told women they had to look beautiful all the time, that there was no room for becoming a mother. The fact that everyone is encouraging her to get back into the ring while putting pressure on her to have a child wasn't lost on Shane. It was a miracle the poor woman wasn't confused.

"What are you doing up so late?"

Shane turned his head to see Candice Michelle, dressed in a black sweater that was cut so low, she was almost close to falling out, and blue jeans, her long, dark hair tied back in a high ponytail. Shane looked back at his beer bottle. "Couldn't sleep. How about you?"

"Same reason." She looked over at the bartender and ordered a drink. Shane ordered another beer. "I've been having problems adapting to time changes."

"It does get easier."

"Which is why you're still awake," Candice replied.

"Touche." He sipped the last of his beer before starting the other bottle. He was half-hoping after a couple it would be easier to sleep.

"Homesick?"

"Kind of." He wasn't sure why Candice was talking to him. He scoped around the bar and noticed Torrie Wilson and Victoria seated at a back table, watching them intently. He had a sneaking suspicion that everything may have to do with Rinoa, but decided to keep his mouth shut. He checked his watch. "I gotta go. I want to call Noa before it gets too late." Before Candice could say anything, Shane was making his way out of the bar.

"Hello?"

"Mom?"

"Shane?"

"What are you doing at my place?"

"Your father and I decided to come and keep Rinoa and Aaron company. Your father and I had a few drinks so Rinoa opened the guest room to us. I'm assuming you're looking for Rinoa."

"Yeah. Is she still awake by any chance?"

"Yeah. She's just putting Aaron down to sleep. She'll be down in a few minutes. How is Japan?"

"It's all right. I hate being a continent away from my son, though." Linda smiled.

"You didn't have to come back so quick."

"I was going crazy. Noa's always on top of everything."

"Who is it?" Shane heard on the other end of the phone.

"It's your husband. Do you want to talk to him?"

"Of course." A smile spread across Shane's features. Her voice was suddenly louder than ever in his ear. "How's Japan, sweetie?"

"It's not the same without you and Aaron here," he confessed.

"Aww..." He could sense her smiling on the other end. "You miss us that much?"

"Yes, I do," he told her. "So much, in fact, I think that I'm actually just going to come home early."

"Shane, don't cut your trip short for us," Rinoa replied. "It's only another two days. And I'll make my world famous lasagna for you when you get home, all right?"

"That actually sounds good. Promise?"

"Scout's honor."

"I got something for you, and I got something for Aaron, too."

"Really? What?"

"It's a surprise."

"Go figure."

"Hey, I wanted to ask you if there's anything going on with Candice Michelle?"

"Um...as in what?"

"I don't know...have you guys become friends...have you had a falling out...?"

"I haven't exchanged a dozen words with the woman," Rinoa replied. "Why?"

"She came up to me in the bar tonight," he said. "I don't know. Call it male intuition, but it felt like there's something up with the four of you."

"Four?"

"Well, I saw Victoria and Torrie Wilson seated at the back as well."

"Great."

"What?"

"If Candice is bonding with Torrie and Victoria, then I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of trouble starting. Thank God I'm semi-retired." Shane laughed. He yawned. "I'll let you go get some sleep, honey. We miss you and we love you."

"Give Aaron a kiss for me."

"I will, hon. Sleep tight."

"Sweet dreams." He hung up the phone and rested back on the bed. He was asleep in moments.


	6. Welcome Home

**Chapter Six: Welcome Home**

Shane pulled the car into the driveway and rested his head against the steering wheel for a minute or two, trying to catch some kind of a sixth wind. He was exhausted. It felt as though he hadn't slept the night before. Theoretically, with the time change, he hadn't. At the moment, his body clock was screwed and he was hungover from a night out with Batista where they put back a lot of drinks, some of the stuff were drinks that the two men couldn't even pronounce, let alone remember. It had become a competition between the Boy Wonder and the Animal, with Shane O'Mac certain that Batista was suffering from a mild case of alcohol poisoning. Knowing that he was home, and a nice, warm bed with his wife waiting for him, he smiled, stepping out of the car and gathering his luggage from the trunk. He thought about Rinoa on the other side of the door, how great it would be to see her again after being away for so long. He was thinking about dinner more, but he appreciated that she was making him dinner. At least he hoped. He would have rather chewed glass than ate some of the stuff they offered on the plane home.

Trudging up the driveway, he opened the door and walked into the house, relieved to be back in familiar surroundings. He heard Aaron sobbing and Rinoa's comforting voice attempting to soothe him from a short distance away. He caught a glimpse of her frame moving back and forth in the kitchen as he pulled off his leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack, his eyes remaining on the pacing figure of his wife. A small smile spread across his handsome features. He could get used to coming home to this. Making his way over toy rings and stuffed animals, he made his way into the kitchen. She stopped pacing and turned to greet her husband. He didn't give her time to offer a greeting. "What's the matter?"

"I don't know," Rinoa confessed, giving her husband a kiss on the cheek. "He's been fed a few times, his diaper's fine. Maybe he just doesn't want to sleep." Shane stopped for a second to think about what other alternatives there could be to calm down his wailing son.

"I have an idea," Shane said. "The carseat still in your car?" She nodded. "Come on. Let's go for a drive."

"What? Shane, you just got home from an extraordinarily long flight. You're exhausted."

"I'm fine," he assured her. "Go get your jacket and I'll get Aaron in his and set up in the car." Rinoa tried to protest, but one look from Shane knew that there was no reason to continue. Once a McMahon set their mind on something, there was no way to obstruct it. So she went to the closet to get her jacket. Shane took Aaron into the living room and grabbed his little jacket, getting him ready while attempting to put on his jacket. Aaron flailed and shrieked, making it downright difficult for Shane to get anything on him. Though many would think the situation a nightmare, Shane was just relieved to be there for his son and his wife, to have a moment with the family, irregardless of what circumstance. These were the moments he was thankful to be there for since he was pretty sure he'd be missing more important ones.

Rinoa emerged. "All right, I'm ready. Does Aaron have his shoes on?"

"He will in a second. You have yours on?"

"I will in a second." She couldn't understand what Shane was doing, but any possible suggestion that would help Aaron sleep was welcome, irregardless of how they managed to get it done. Shane picked up Aaron, slid his own shoes on and grabbed Rinoa's car keys on the way out.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"Mom used to do this with me when I couldn't sleep," Shane said. "She tells me about it all the time. She'd take me on a drive and the motion of the car would put me to sleep."

"Are you good to drive? I mean, did you get any sleep on the flight?"

"Not much," he confessed, buckling Aaron into the car seat. "Noa, quit looking at me like that. I'm fine. I wouldn't have suggested this if I wasn't." She nodded at the logic and got into the car.

They drove along the back with Aaron's wailing quieting down after a few minutes. Shane put a CD in the player and Three Doors Down started to play. Rinoa cocked an eyebrow. "Not my regular music, I know, but Dad wanted me to take a look at their new album. Something about using a song for _WrestleMania_."

"Why can't Dad just do that himself?"

"He's too busy," Shane said with a roll of his eyes. "Like he can't stick on a pair of headphones while he's at physio. But I digress. Anyway, if you hear anything you like, feel free to let me know." She nodded.

"So, what's been happening with Candice since I talked to you?"

"Nothing. I've been so busy I haven't really fraternized with the talent," Shane said. "I don't know, Noa. There was just something that felt kind of strange about the entire thing. Especially with Torrie and Victoria watching."

"Well, if Torrie Wilson is in on things, then it spells trouble," Rinoa replied. "You might think I'm still being paranoid after everything, but I can just sense this. Torrie will be the brains, Victoria will be the force and Candice will be the protoge in whatever they have going on." Shane smirked. "I'm serious."

"Well, what would they want with me?"

"Your last name's McMahon...what wouldn't they want with you?"

"Well, it's not like I can get them ahead in the Divas division," Shane said with a shake of his head. "They'd have a better shot at my dad." He cringed at the thought.

"Hopefully he'd treat them better than he treated Trish," Rinoa replied, staring out the window. Shane smirked.

"If they wanted to take a go round with Dad, then frankly, good luck to them," Shane said. "Sometimes I wonder how Mom does it when he loses his temper." Rinoa smiled. "How is he?"

Rinoa turned her head. "He's out." She leaned her head back against the passenger's seat. "Thank God. He'll sleep through the night soon. I know it."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Shane said. "Mom said I was a year and a half before I slept through the night." Rinoa groaned at the thought and Shane laughed. "I missed you guys so much," he told her. "It's hard being away from you guys now." She nodded.

"I missed you, too," she said. "And it's getting hard not having you around, either."

"I understand why you're trying to stay retired," Shane told her. "And I appreciate it, but Noa, there are people who will step in...and when he gets old enough, we can start taking him on the road during the summer vacations." She nodded.

"I know," she said. "But right now, I just can't stand the thought of being away from him." Shane knew the feeling, too. They pulled back into the driveway, killing the ignition. Aaron was fast asleep.


	7. No Way Out

**Chapter Seven: No Way Out**

"Shane O'Mac! What are you doin' here, man? I thought Steph was calling the shots tonight!" John Cena shouted out loud as he slapped hands with the oldest McMahon child. Shane shook his head, as if what John had been hearing was nothing more than a rumor.

"She's got probably the worst case of food poisoning I've ever seen," Shane said with a shake of his head. "Hunter's taking her to the hospital to get her stomach pumped so I'm at the helm tonight." John blinked at the revelation.

"Shitty deal."

"Tell me about it. I've never seen my sister so sick." Shane shook his head. "Anyway, congratulations on becoming the number one contender at _WrestleMania._ That's huge stuff."

"Thanks," Cena said. "It may have taken three years, but I finally beat Kurt Angle."

"Well, I can bet you that Rinoa is officially your number one fan for that," Shane told him. He laughed.

"I wouldn't complain if she's a fan of mine, since Randy seems to love her so much. How is she doing, by the way?"

"She's doing all right. Aaron is _finally_ sleeping through the night, which is good. Noa needs her rest. It's not easy doing the single parent thing while we're off giving each other alcohol poisoning." Cena laughed.

"Isn't that the truth. Hey...that reminds me...I've got something for you to give to Rinoa."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Cena dug into his bag and pulled out a CD. "It's not set to go on sale until May tenth. But Rinoa said she wanted an advanced copy, and I would really like it if she'd give me an honest opinion about the CD."

"I can do that," Shane replied, taking the CD from John. He shook his head incredulously. "She must like you, because every time I put on my rap, she acts like I just asked her to chew glass." Cena laughed.

"Shane O! What are you doing here?"

Shane turned to see Batista and Eddie make their way over to them. "Great job out there tonight, kid," Eddie said, slapping Cena on the back. Cena thanked the legendary Guerrero for the praise. Eddie had been the champion for close to four months the year before, and Cena's stock was starting to rise on _SmackDown, _prompting everyone to show him a new amount of respect. John had nothing but the utmost respect for veterans like Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, who were constantly showing him how to improve, how to handle himself as champion and whatnot. It was no secret that Cena was more than likely going to take the title at _WrestleMania_. As a result, the main event tier of the WWE roster was taking him under their wing.

"Steph's sick, so I'm here," Shane explained. Batista nodded.

"When's Vince supposed to take the helm again?"

"Sometimes before _WrestleMania_. He's ahead of schedule, thankfully." Everyone nodded.

"That sure was a freak thing to happen," Batista said. Cena nodded.

"Tell me about it. I remember the two of us looked at each other and it was like 'What the fuck do we do now'?"

"The show must go on," Eddie said with a hearty laugh.

"Then it became a concern of not launching each other into the boss," Batista laughed. Shane smiled. "So what's everyone doing tonight?"

"I don't know," Cena said. "I thought about just going to the hotel."

"You can't do that," Batista said with a roll of his eyes. "You just became the number one contender and you're main eventing _WrestleMania_ for your brand. You have to go out and party."

"I'll save the partying for when I take the belt..." John began, but Shane cut him off.

"The man here is absolutely right," Shane smiled. "I think a celebration is in order." Cena groaned. But he knew better than to argue. At least people wanted to hang out with him now, and didn't treat him like a leper like they had at the 2003 _Survivor Series_. He thought about it for a second and nodded.

"All right. You fuckers are on."

"Noa!"

"Shane?" She sat up in bed and looked at the clock. It was two AM. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Noa, you're so fucking beautiful!"

"You're drunk."

"I miss you."

"I miss you, too, honey, but it's late...and Aaron is going to be up in a couple hours." Rinoa brushed off the feeling of resentment she was feeling. She wished she was out having fun as well.

"Give me the phone, Shane." She heard a stern voice say. She sighed. "Sorry about this, Rinoa."

"Cena?"

"Yeah."

"Congratulations on winning tonight."

"Thanks. I'm sorry about all this, Noa. The guys wanted to take me out to celebrate."

"It's all right, John. This is an occasion to celebrate."

"Are you all right? Outside of the norm?"

"I'm fine," she said. "It's just that Aaron's finally sleeping through the night so I'm trying to catch up on all my lost sleep." John laughed.

"I'll let you get back to sleep. As it is, I think we're going to need to carry your husband back up to his room."

"Thanks for looking out for my husband, Cena. I'll see you around." They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Rinoa settled back into bed. She was surprised with herself for feeling so resentful. But she missed her old life. And that wasn't anything against Aaron. She loved her son. But she felt so confined when everyone around her was traveling and having fun and enjoying the world. She wondered if she would ever have that opportunity again. There was no way she would be able to stay in her self-imposed exile forever. She knew it. But how long and how much was it really going to take for her to get back into the ring?


	8. Candice Michelle

Trish approached Shane backstage at the catering area. She was freshly coiffed and made up from her trip to the stylist's chair, dressed in an off the shoulder black and white shirt and bell bottomed pants. Shane was unscrewing a cap from a water bottle. He took a swig and then grimaced. It was warm. "Hey, Shane," Trish greeted. He turned to her. He could tell she was frustrated. Only minutes before, in the ring, Trish had taken a Twist of Fate from her _WrestleMania _opponent, Christy Hemme. It appeared Christy was training with Trish's sometimes friend, sometimes enemy Lita.

Lita was training Christy in an attempt to take the Women's Championship off Trish, who had been holding it since Lita blew out her knee in Puerto Rico at _New Year's Revolution. _Unknown to just about everybody at this point, was that management was tearing its hair out trying to figure out a solution to Lita's current romantic situation. Her ex-boyfriend, Matt Hardy, was making private matters public and the fans were starting to turn on her. Shane thought Lita was being smart by keeping her mouth shut, but Vince was getting fed up with Matt and what Vince perceived to be immaturity on the former leader of Mattitude's part. Management was trying to get Lita to talk about it so they could prepare themselves for whatever dirt Matt was going to sling.

"How is Rinoa?" Trish asked, rubbing her neck. She reached past Shane for a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip. If her water bottle had warm water in it, her expression didn't show it.

"She's doing all right," Shane told her. "Aaron's finally starting to sleep through the night, so she's mellowing out a little. Between you and I, I think she's itching to get back in the ring. Dad's been trying to keep her busy so she doesn't get too bored, but I can tell she still has the itch."

"Why doesn't she get back in the ring then?"

"She wants to wait until Aaron's a little bit older," Shane confessed. "You know how it is. Once this is in your blood, it's damn near impossible to get it out." There was a moment of silence between them. His brows furrowed. "You were Rinoa's Maid of Honor…you don't have our number?"

"I had to get a new phone," Trish confessed. "So I have to get your number again."

"I'll write it down for you," Shane offered. "Give her a call. I'm absolutely certain she'd love to hear from you. You two should have been sisters, I swear." Trish laughed. "I think the life of a housewife is boring her to tears."

"I really miss having her around."

"I do, too. My life isn't the same without her around." Shane wrote down the number and handed it to Trish. She slid it into her top, her face contorting into an unmistakeable look of distaste. "What?"

"Trouble at twelve o'clock," Trish told him softly. Shane turned and instantly saw what Trish was talking about. Candice Michelle was approaching them, flanked by Torrie Wilson to the left and Victoria to the right. Candice's hair was down and styled, voluminous and dark brown. Her exotic eyes were made up heavily, but still somehow looked natural. She was dressed in an itty bitty corset that barely covered her breasts and vinyl tights, the look topped off with high heeled black boots. Victoria was dressed in her ring gear; a cut-off baseball T-shirt and black shorts, her black and red streaked hair pulled back in a layered ponytail. Torrie was in her ring gear, a black bra, black shorts and fishnet stockings. Her bleached blonde hair was crimped and around her face. Victoria and Torrie had their hands on their hips as they approached. Candice held a wand with a purple star on top.

"Hello, Shane," Candice cooed, touching his chest with her wand. Shane shot a look at Trish. She was exchanging scathing looks with Victoria. Trish grabbed Shane's arm and pulled him back so that he was standing behind her. Words could not express Shane's gratitude over Trish's presence; the looks Candice was giving him made him feel dirty. It was very obvious she was undressing him with her eyes.

"What do you three want?" Trish demanded. Candice's eyes fell on Trish, a wry smile tugging at her lips.

"Wow, Trish, up and about already," Candice said with mock surprise in her voice. "I didn't think you'd want to be showing your face back here after Christy humiliated you on live TV."

"I'd say you look taller than usual, Candice, but that's because you're not on your knees," Trish retorted. Shane couldn't suppress the sound he made. He cupped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing. Candice's eyes blazed. Trish smiled, more to herself than anyone else, knowing that she had scored a verbal knockout.

"You're lucky Shane McMahon is here," Victoria snarled. "Otherwise the three of us would be giving you another taste of humiliation."

"Don't sing it – bring it, bitches," Trish challenged. It didn't matter that she was still sore after being in the ring with Christy and Lita. She was ready to trade shots with the three women because Trish loved a good fight. She didn't care if Shane McMahon was standing behind her.

Victoria and Torrie went to charge, but Candice put her hands up, keeping them back. "Vicky, Torrie, no," she said. "Not in front of Mr. McMahon." Candice was eyeing Shane up and down. He felt like he needed to cover himself, like she could see through the clothing he wore. He involuntarily shuddered.

"You're lucky, Trish – you escaped an ass kicking today," Victoria told her angrily. Trish cocked an eyebrow.

"We'll deal with you when we're good and ready, Stratus," Candice informed her.

"I'll be waiting," Trish promised. The three of them walked past her. Victoria bumped into Trish, almost knocking her over. Trish's jaw dropped, her eyes widening in offense. Candice made sure she brushed up against Shane, getting up close and personal in a way only Rinoa should have known. She shot him a seductive look, touching him one last time with the wand before she left, stopping to blow him a kiss before departing with the others.

Trish looked at Shane. "Just what in the hell was all that about?" she asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Shane answered. "I honestly wish I had an answer. You know, she came to talk to me in Japan, and it just felt so strange. I knew Torrie was in on whatever is going on. She's just not happy unless she's making Noa miserable."

"Does Noa know about this?"

"Of course she does. I don't keep secrets from my wife."

"Good." Trish looked at the clock on the wall. "I need to go talk to Christian and Tomko. I'll see you around?"

"You know it. Give her a call later, okay?"

"I will," she promised, giving him a hug. "Be careful. I don't like this."

"You and me both," he assured her. Trish disappeared down the hall. He sighed to himself. He couldn't understand why life in the WWE had to be so chaotic ninety percent of the time. Especially behind the cameras.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Trish?"

"The one and only."

"Hey! How are you doing?" Rinoa asked. She was sitting down on the couch, enjoying a glass of Sprite and watching _Raw_. She was dressed in her pajamas, rainbow striped drawstring pants and a light pink sports bra. Her hair was in braided pigtails. A plate of chocolate chip cookies sat on the cushion beside her.

"It's going good. Look, I need to talk to you, Noa. I'm sure Shane's going to talk to you about this when he calls you tonight or when he gets home, but I'm calling you first and I just can't keep quiet about it. You know how I am."

"I do. What's going on?"

"I think Candice Michelle is trying to horn in on your husband."

Rinoa guffawed. "Get the fuck out of here. You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious," Trish insisted. "I was with him in catering tonight, and you should have seen the way she was hanging off him, touching him with that stupid fucking wand of hers. She was trying to make time with him, flirting, you know, being the total slut that she is."

"Oh, my God…"

"Don't worry. She was over the line, but she didn't get _over the line_, you know what I'm sayin'? I stepped in and made sure of that. But I want to let you know that whatever Torrie, Victoria and Candice are planning, your husband seems to be their prime target."

"Do you think…?"

"Get that thought out of your head, Rinoa. Shane is head over heels in love with you. Candice is going to try and he is going to shut her down every single time because he would _never _jeopardize what he has with you." Trish's words made Rinoa feel a little better, but there was still a pit of uneasiness in her stomach. "I heard Mr. McMahon say that you have a few of the Diva Search contestants picked out."

"I do. I have a good feeling about a few of them."

"Well…dish!"

"One's Ashley Massaro. She's from New York. She's one of those punk-rock chicks and pretty to boot. I figure I may as well root for one, since I have to pick them." Trish laughed.

"I'm going to have to train her and make her my backup soon," Trish told Rinoa. "I'm going to need it since God only knows what the hell Victoria is teaching Candice."

"Not much if all she can do at this point is move her arms in a slow circle," Rinoa snorted. Trish laughed. "Fuck. What am I going to do, Trish?"

"Don't worry, that's what you're going to do. Trish Stratus has your back. I'm the Women's Champion, remember? I can handle bidness."

"I know you can," Rinoa assured her with a smile. "You've always had my back."

"And you've always had mine," Trish reminded her.

"Please keep an eye on Shane for me."

"I will. I hate to do this, but I'll even go talk to Lita and Christy, put some feelers out for you."

"I appreciate that, Trish." Rinoa knew that Christy had nothing but respect for Rinoa and the McMahon family. Rinoa still considered Lita a friend, even though the two of them hadn't spoken as much as they used to when Rinoa had first started and they had been "feuding."

"How's Aaron?"

"Asleep, thank God. I feel like I haven't accomplished anything in months," Rinoa complained with a laugh.

"Are you going to bring Aaron to _WrestleMania_?"

"I am," Rinoa confirmed. "Maria's sister Janny and Christy's sister Deena volunteered to babysit while we paint the town red. I'm actually kind of looking forward to a night out. Those two are going to have their hands full; he's crawling now. Before you know it he's going to be walking and then running. Then I'll never get a moment's peace." Trish laughed.

"That's great."

"They're going to let me drop him off early so I can do some Hall of Fame prep."

"I have to do that, too. Why don't you and I make a day of it?"

"I think that might just be the greatest idea ever," Rinoa told her with a smile.

"Good. I have to let you go, though. I'll put some feelers out for you tonight, though. I'll let Chris know you're coming out for _WrestleMania_. He misses you so much it's not even funny."

"I miss everybody. I'll see you soon, Trish. Love you, my sister."

"Love you, too, Noa. And don't you forget it!"

They hung up. Rinoa put the phone down on the coffee table and sighed. Candice Michelle was after her husband. She wished she could be surprised, but she knew that people within the industry wanted to get close to a McMahon. Vince took the bait pretty consistently, something that stumped Stephanie, Shane and Rinoa. They couldn't figure out why Linda allowed it. Rinoa would never allow Shane to take a mistress, and they both knew it. Shane always said he wasn't the type, and she believed him. Even though she knew she had nothing to worry about, Rinoa had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was going to happen.

* * *

"Just what the hell are you doing here, Trish?"

Lita was on her crutches, her face in a pout. Christy turned to see Trish and put her arms up, assuming her best fighting stance. She was dressed in a mini blue dress and small heeled shoes. Trish put her hand up. "I'm not here to fight, and I'm certainly not here to extend the olive branch. I'm here on behalf of Rinoa."

Christy dropped her stance, but her blue eyes were still suspicious. "What?"

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important," Trish assured them. "I promised her I'd be her road eyes, but I'm only one person. I can only see so much. I need you guys to help her."

"What's going on?" Lita asked.

"It's Candice, Torrie and Victoria. They've got something going on, and Shane seems to be caught in the crosshairs. I think Candice might be trying to seduce him. I want to put feelers out there and make sure she doesn't succeed."

"Candice is trying to move in on Shane?" Christy asked, horrified. Trish nodded. "What a tramp."

Lita was silent.

"Noa is coming out for _WrestleMania_. Until then, we owe it to her to keep her husband protected."

"You can count on us," Christy assured her.

"Great. I need to go talk to Jericho. I know Rinoa appreciates it." She turned to leave, stopping. She wheeled around on them. "Oh, and by the way, Hemme?"

"What?"

"You'd better bring everything you've got at _WrestleMania_."

* * *

"Yeah?"

Chris Jericho looked up at his locker room door opened and Trish walked in. He stood. "Oh, look! It's the Walking STD…" Trish rolled their eyes. He still carried a little bit of bitterness from the dissolution of their relationship the year before. The only time they were ever really civil with one another was when Rinoa was around. They were Aaron's godparents.

"I just got off the phone with Rinoa…"

"Noa? How's she doing?" Chris asked, his disdain for Trish disappearing fast. "What's up? How's she doing?"

"Not too good, considering there's a slutty Diva here trying to weasel in on her husband," Trish told him. Chris shot her a look. "Not me, you idiot – Candice."

"Really?" he asked. Trish nodded. "Which one is Candice again?"

"_I can do this_…" Trish moved her arms.

"Oh – _that one_?" he exclaimed incredulously. Trish nodded.

"I put some feelers out, but just keep your eye out for her. I don't think Shane's the type to stray, but we need to keep it that way. Anyway, she said that she's for sure coming out for _WrestleMania _week."

"Is she bringing our godson?"

"You know she is. She's got babysitters for Aaron, so she's going to come out with us. We need to do something big since she hasn't had a night out with us in what feels like _forever_."

"Who said you're invited?"

"Chris, don't make me hurt you. Anyway, I'll see if I can get them to watch him for a few more hours, even if I have to pay them double time," she mused, more to herself than to Chris. "How about you take care of the post-Hall of Fame festivities, and I'll handle the post-_WrestleMania _festivities. Does that sound like a deal?"

"Flies with me," Chris told her.

"Good. I have to go, though. It feels like I'm doing nothing but running tonight, but I have to do an interview. Rinoa just wanted me to let you know that she's coming out and she misses you." He smiled. She went to leave and he went to his bag and rifled through it for a shirt. "Chris?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to her as he slid on his shirt.

"I'm sorry things went so badly between us," she told him sheepishly, letting herself out of the room. Chris sank down to the chair he had been sitting on, ruffling his hair with his hand.

"Me, too, Trish," he said to the empty room. "Me, too."


	9. Bonding With the Doctor

**Chapter Nine: Bonding With the Doctor**

John Cena was in a foul mood.

Understandably, John Cena was irate. At the end of _SmackDown_, the first show since the Great Debate the week before where John had humiliated JBL in front of a worldwide audience, JBL had Cena arrested for defacing his ridiculous limousine. When the police had handcuffed Cena, JBL had hit Cena with a nut shot that had almost taken the contender down to his knees had the police not been standing there, holding onto him. The worst part was that they had taken him straight out of the arena, and he didn't have his wallet or anything on him to post bond, to get out. He had tried calling somebody to bring him his wallet with his one phone call, but nobody had answered. He had been sitting in the small cell for almost four hours now, feeling the anxiety starting to weigh on him like an anvil. He made a silent promise to himself to beat JBL from pillar to post on Sunday. If he managed to get out of jail, that was. He was starting to wonder if he was going to make it to _WrestleMania._

"Cena! You posted bond!"

"What?" John looked up from his seat cell to see Rinoa McMahon standing behind an officer. She was dressed in black slacks and a red button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, her hair back in a high ponytail. To him, she looked like a scarlet angel who had saved his sorry ass. He jumped to his feet as the guard unlocked the cell. "Rinoa? When did you get in?" He couldn't stop the smile from crossing his features.

"I got in just before _SmackDown_ finished," she confessed. "I saw what JBL did. After everything he's done to you, having you arrested just wasn't right. Anyway, I was in Dad's office about an hour ago and I got your phone message so I came down here. Your stuff is in the car. Come on." He gave her a hug.

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it, John. Come on."

"Where's Shane?"

"Shane's watching Aaron back at the hotel. I called him and let him know what was going on." She stared at the extraordinarily tight orange shirt that they had given Cena to put on when he arrived and she cocked an eyebrow. "Your clothes are in the car. Can you even breathe in that shirt?"

"Thank God," he said. They signed the paperwork and left the precinct.

"You haven't eaten, have you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest as the crisp late night air hit her, causing her to involuntarily shiver.

"No."

"You hungry?"

"Truthfully? Starved."

"Let's go for dinner, then," she said.

"You should probably call Shane."

"He knows. Usually when I have to go bail out a Superstar, they get dinner after." Cena laughed and she unlocked her trunk with the press of a button. He dug in for a T-shirt, pulling off the orange shirt right there in the parking lot.

"Great. 'I went to California and all I got was this shirt'," Cena mused. Rinoa laughed as a car honked at the topless Cena in the parking lot. He started laughing as well as he slid on a Word Life baseball jersey and grabbed a Word Life baseball cap. He closed the trunk and got into the car. "Thank you for this, Rinoa."

"You don't need to thank me. I'd like to think somebody would do this for me if I got busted." Rinoa laughed and readjusted the rearview mirror before starting the car. "But seriously; keep that in mind; I may need somebody to bail me out in the near future."

"Candice Michelle?"

"How did you know?" She arched an eyebrow in shock.

"Dawn Marie is a horrible gossip." Rinoa nodded, her expression softening. "So it is true?"

"Seems that way." Rinoa pulled onto the main road. "Cena, you've been here all week. I just got in. What's open at this time?"

"Well, there's this little place about twenty minutes from here." She nodded and the CD player turned to "Summer Flings". He looked at her.

"You're listening to my CD?"

"Yeah. Shane gave me the advanced copy a couple weeks ago. It took me another week or two to even listen to it. Being a mom doesn't give you time for much." Cena smiled. "Now that Aaron's crawling around, he's trying to get into absolutely everything."

"What do you think of the CD?" She flashed him a smile.

"I think it's great. You put a lot of hard work into this, and you should be very proud of it. Irregardless of what anybody says. Music, irregardless of the genre, is an art, and composing new things and having interesting things to say is not an easy task and you did it. I also think it's great that you didn't overload the album with wrestling metaphors and similes and whatnot. That's what keeps it from being seen as a novelty CD." He smiled. "It will make people want to take it seriously."

"What's your favorite track?" he asked, as though he were quizzing her to see if she was faking her review.

"'Keep Frontin''", she told him with a smile. "The entire song just sounds so polished and everyone did great with their execution. The whole album is phenomenal, though." A smile crossed her features as she readjusted the rearview mirror. "Things have been getting pretty hectic with you, huh? I mean with the CD and the movie and whatnot."

"Yeah," John said. "Not bad for a small town kid, huh?"

"I'm a small town kid, too," Rinoa said with a smile. "I know that feeling of accomplishment. We made it." He nodded; there was something about Rinoa that he really could relate to. He was inwardly jealous that Shane had found someone who was so down-to-Earth; although he couldn't complain about the woman he had waiting for him. She turned the CD up a little bit. "So, who's the woman singing on this one?"

"It's Rue."

"Rue? As in DeBona? Our Rue?"

"As in Josh Mathew's fiancee, as in our Rue," he confirmed. "I found out from Josh that she used to sing in a girl group. So we hooked up, I sent her a prototype of the track and she was all in."

"That's amazing! She sounds great." Rinoa smiled. "This is a good CD, John. And that says a lot coming from a rocker like me." John laughed.

"I know! Shane was like, 'Um...this is a rap album...you know she's into rock, right?' I had a hell of a time convincing him that you had asked me for an advanced copy."

"I know," she laughed. "He kept asking me and then kept feeling my forehead to see if I was all right." She turned the car into the parking lot.

"Don't be too hard on yourself about Randy Orton, Rinoa," John said. They were sitting in a booth, Cena with a plate of ribs in front of him, Rinoa with chicken fingers and Caesar salad. John was having a well-deserved beer, Rinoa sipping on a Diet Coke. "He's still young, he's still got a lot of mistakes to make. Anyway, you can trust that he's been walking the fine and narrow since he found out he's got Taker at _WrestleMania._" Rinoa smiled.

"I would wish Taker on my worst enemy," she laughed. "The man could straighten just about anybody out."

"How are you friends with that guy? He's just so...creepy." Rinoa laughed.

"He's helped me through a lot. Him, Kane and Jericho. I owe those guys a lot. And when I fly off the handle, you'd better believe that Taker's the only one who calms me down." They laughed.

"Like a couple weeks ago when you cold-cocked Kurt Angle in catering?" Rinoa blushed and Cena laughed. "I see why they call you 'Killer'."

"The, uh, The Rock came up with that one," she laughed. "Normally when that scumsucker gets within a foot of me, he winds up with a sore jaw." John chuckled before his tone got serious.

"If you don't mind me asking...what happened between you and Angle? Please don't be offended or send Shane after me...better yet, please don't send Taker after me..." She laughed. "But let's be real here...I've been in this company for three years now and you still can't play nice with the guy, and everyone gets really pissed off when he's around you. So what happened between you two that it's like an unofficial restraining order backstage?"

Rinoa sighed and took a sip of her Coke. "It started when I started. He kind of started getting all stalker on me, and he didn't get the picture." A low whistle escaped John's lips.

"How did Shane handle that?"

"Unfortunately, Shane couldn't do a whole lot. See...there was a time when Vince didn't want Shane or Stephanie marrying any of the talent. I know, I know...that kind of backfired, huh?" Cena laughed. "Anyways, when Shane and I first started dating, he and I decided to keep it a secret so neither of us incurred Vince's wrath. My career with WWE was just starting, he held an executive position...it just seemed like the best thing to do at the time. So when Angle started doing pulling his shit, Shane couldn't just come right out and say, you know, 'Back off of my girlfriend', which was exactly what the little leech wanted. He goaded Shane into so much."

"So when did things come out about you and Shane?"

"2001," she answered. "Under the worst possible circumstances. I had, um...been the victim of a _home invasion_, and had to undergo neck surgery. That was probably the worst time of my life. And there was nothing more awkward than being laid up in a hospital bed, explaining to your boss that you're in love with his son."

"I'm sorry to hear that," John said, shaking his head. "That must have been scary."

"You have no idea," she told him. "Then it got worse because the police wanted me to name names, Vince wanted me to name names, and I was more concerned about hurting the business than about what was wrong with me. Shane was absolutely beside himself." John thought about what she said for a second.

"Wait...are you telling me Kurt Angle was behind your home invasion?"

"Kurt was the invader." She didn't need to say anymore. He understood what she meant.

"Jesus," Cena breathed. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Rinoa." Suddenly a lot made sense to him about Rinoa's rocky relationship with Kurt Angle, and he had a new level of respect for her for undergoing so much trauma and emerging from it stronger than what she had been. And it changed his opinion of Kurt Angle. She dismissed his statement with a wave.

"Don't be," Rinoa replied. "I'm okay. I had to see a therapist for a while, but I'm okay. But that's why they keep the two of us separated. Only the upper-main-event level tier of the WWE know about this. I wasn't - and I'm still not - into advertising it to everybody."

"I can understand why you hit him, Noa," John said, shaking his head. He had a whole new level of respect for her after her revelation; to endure so much and still be so grounded.

"Vince and everyone understands why I hit him," she said, shaking her head. "We keep him around because as much as we hate to admit it, he is a hell of a competitor and it's in best interests of business that we keep him. Don't think that Vince is insensitive. He did ask me if I wanted him fired."

"Why didn't you cut him loose? Nobody would have blamed you after that."

"Under the conditions that they kept us separated, I said he could stay. I put the business first, which is what you have to do in this industry. It's not about who does what and who hurts who...it's about the business."

"Then you're a better person than I am, Rinoa." She smiled. "I would have killed the son of a bitch."

"Don't be so sure of that," Rinoa said with a laugh. "When he does approach me, normally he does get the life beaten out of him. After the...invasion, Taker and Jericho took him into the middle of nowhere and beat him within inches of his life. They didn't tell me this for a long time afterwards, and it was Shane who wound up telling me. They then drove him to the police station and left him there." Cena smiled.

"Sounds like you've got good friends in those two."

"I could never ask for anybody better, and in their eyes, if you're a friend of mine, you're a friend of theirs. It's how Randy's been cut so much slack." Cena laughed.

"Well, I'll admit, since you and Shane have been so nice to me, I haven't been treated like I have scabies...as much." Rinoa laughed.

"It's just because you're unconventional in a business full of traditionalists. But you know, all of the best Superstars are remembered for breaking barriers. Look at Ricky Steamboat. He was one of the first aerial and ground athletes in a sea full of ground grapplers. Everyone had to up their game and adapt to what he was doing in the ring. And in the end, it made the product better." Cena smiled.

"You're very insightful. I see why the McMahons love you."

"Thanks, Cena," she laughed. "How are things with Arista?"

"Going well," he said. "Kurt's more or less accepted that this is the way things are going to be. He's still not playing nice with me, but Arista's not afraid to give him hell." She laughed.

"Good. I can only imagine how hard it must be to be happy in that family." Cena nodded.

"You're telling me. I thought the McMahons were dysfunctional." Rinoa laughed.

"We are to an extent."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how are things going to play out with this Candice situation?"

"I don't know, but the little Diva Search reject had better be careful. I'm not afraid to take her, and I sure in the hell am not afraid to take on Victoria, either." John whistled low.

"Sounds like you're stepping into a hard situation."

"It's not that hard. Shane doesn't go for sluts. If she doesn't get that, I'll have to give her a nice reminder."


	10. Hall of Fame 2005

At exactly ten-thirty in the morning on the day of the Hall of Fame ceremony, Trish Stratus picked up Rinoa in front of her hotel. Trish was driving a white convertible, her blonde hair tied back in a high ponytail. Giant sunglasses covered at least half of her face. She was dressed in white baggy pants and a black tank top. Rinoa was the opposite; dressed in black sweatpants and a white "wife-beater" tank top, her hair tied back in a low ponytail. Dressed in a fuchsia button-down shirt and slacks, Molly Holly sat in the back. It had been ages since Rinoa had seen Molly. The two of them had formed a work friendship back when they worked together in WCW, where Molly had been known as "Miss Madness" with the Macho Man Randy Savage.

Shane, Vince and Linda were ecstatic that Rinoa was going to go out and have a day with her friends. Vince, Shane, Linda, Stephanie and Hunter were going to take Aaron to the park for a picnic before dropping him off with Deena and Janny for the day. The two girls were more than willing to watch him for a couple extra hours, so Shane had talked Rinoa into going out after the Hall of Fame. Deena and Janny had assured Rinoa that Aaron would be fine. It was the first time she had left Aaron with anybody whose last name was not McMahon. She was nervous, but Shane was helping her work through it.

_WrestleMania _season was always the busiest time of the year for everyone involved with World Wrestling Entertainment, so Linda and Vince were relishing the few minutes of time they had with their grandson before they got wrapped up in work. Every year, the event seemed to get bigger in magnitude, taking over towns with reading challenges and fan festivals. _WrestleMania _was beginning to be seen as an economic boon to the towns hosting it. Every year, more and more cities were throwing their hat into the ring, hoping that the McMahon family would bring _WrestleMania _to their town.

Every year during _WrestleMania _season, Rinoa and Shane noticed that Vince became nostalgic. He always remembered how frightened he was doing the first _WrestleMania_. He called it a make or break event. He had been happy to break even; ecstatic when he had turned a profit. Vince had ambition and drive in his attempts to take wrestling global. He was proud that not only was he able to do it, but doing it had also given his children a better life than he had growing up.

"Molly!" Rinoa greeted with glee, getting into the passenger's seat and buckling her seatbelt.

"Noa! Jeez, you look amazing. It's been too long," Molly said with a smile. "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you guys. I've missed everybody so much!"

"How was your week?" Trish asked Rinoa, readjusting the rear-view mirror. She put the car in drive and made her way out of the parking lot. "I heard you had to go bail _SmackDown_'s number one contender from jail the other night. That must have been fun."

Rinoa blinked. "Where did you hear that?"

"Maria is a horrible gossip…and she has a giant crush on John Cena," she added with a wink. The three of them laughed. "So where are we going first?"

"We're going dress shopping," Rinoa said. "Well, for me anyway. I know you two have probably had yours picked out for weeks."

"What color are you thinking? And if you say black, I will Chick Kick you in the face," Trish threatened. In the backseat, Molly was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"What's wrong with black?" Rinoa asked defensively.

"Everything is black with you," Trish informed her. "You wear too much black."

"You sound like Shane," Rinoa told her.

"I may sound like Shane, but I'm way hotter," Trish informed Rinoa. They giggled. Rinoa turned her attention to Molly. "Who are you going to the ceremony with?"

"Charles asked me." Charles Robinson was one of WWE's senior referees who had come to the company after WCW had been purchased. He had been a well-known character in WCW, "Little Naitch", Ric Flair's personal referee and right-hand man. He was also one of the sweetest guys and one of Molly's closest and dearest friends. He always took Molly to the Hall of Fame and any other WWE-sponsored gala.

"What about you, Trish? Who are you going with?"

"Christian, of course," she answered, a smile tugging at her lips.

"How are things going with Captain Charisma?" Rinoa inquired. Trish's smile faded and she contemplated her answer very carefully. Rinoa knew better than to be afraid of asking Trish the tough questions. They had been through too much together to play softball with one another.

"I'm not really into him anymore, but I'm going to wait until _WrestleMania _to break it off with him," she told him. "I got so much going on with the Women's Championship, and I just don't need a man's bullshit to add to my problems." Rinoa nodded, but she sensed there was more to it.

"Speaking of bullshit in the Women's division, Noa, have you given any thought about how you're going to handle Candice Michelle?" Molly piped up from the backseat.

"There's nothing to handle at the moment," Rinoa confessed. "She's just being a flirt."

"For now," Trish reminded her. Rinoa nodded.

"For now," Rinoa agreed. "But I have Aaron and he's still so young. I don't think I can go into a full gung-ho road schedule with him still needing so much care. I don't want to miss the firsts either, you know? But I'm telling you, if she steps over the line, I won't have any problem coming back and pushing her back over it."

"What about Victoria?" Trish asked.

"If she wants to step into it with me, I'll bust her open, too," Rinoa said coldly with a shrug. "This is my family…and if I have to step in and get them off our backs, I'll do it. Torrie Wilson knows what I can do, but if she forgot, I'm more than happy to give her a little reminder." She forced a smile on her face, hoping it would dispel the storm clouds that were gathering above her head. "At least I know you two have my back."

"Always," Trish and Molly assured her in unison.

"How has Shane been with Candice and her group?" Trish asked.

"The entire situation has him feeling uncomfortable. I'm still trying to comprehend the situation and figure out just what the hell they're trying to do."

"I think Torrie hates seeing you have a better life than her," Molly told Rinoa. "It's so petty to be so jealous."

"I worked hard for everything I have," Rinoa said with a shake of her head. "I was doing barbed wire and C4 matches long before I fell into bed with Shane. I've bled, sweated and cried on just about every continent. I've picked the brain of every legend for four years, everyone from Ricky Steamboat to Ric Flair. I busted my ass like you, and like Trish. Torrie just got lucky that Eric was signing everything that had a nice rack and moved. She got lucky Scott Steiner wanted her in WCW. I lived through all that long before I fell into bed with my husband."

"The fact that you've done C4 matches makes you a hell of a lot tougher than me," Trish told her, turning her car into the parking lot of the dress store. "You couldn't pay me enough to do stupid shit like that. It's a miracle you don't look mutilated."

"I think that sometimes myself," Rinoa confessed with a laugh. Trish killed the engine and the three of them got out of the car.

"What do you know about the draft this year?" Trish asked. Rinoa shook her head.

"Not much. Dad's keeping it close to the vest. Everyone's getting nervous because he said it's going to be really, really big this year. He wants shock and surprise."

"How is the magazine stuff going?" Molly asked.

"Great. We're still in the brainstorming stages, but we should be launching the renovated magazine next year. We're going to start with a special edition summer issue it sounds like, and then we're just going to start putting out the new magazines."

The three of them entered the store. It was well-lit, with burgundy carpets and high cream walls. Dresses lined the racks as far as the eyes could see, along with mannequins modeling the latest fashions. They approached the woman behind the counter, a demure blonde with pale green eyes. She was absently flipping through an issue of _YM Magazine_. She looked up at them. "Stratus and Holly," Trish said to her. "We have dresses to pick up."

The woman looked down at her paperwork. "If you go to Corinne in the back, she'll get them for you," she replied cheerfully. The nametag she wore said her name was Kristin. Trish thanked her and turned to Rinoa.

"Take a while to look around while we get our dresses. Remember…it can't be all black," Trish told her sternly. Rinoa laughed. Trish and Molly went towards the back of the store. Rinoa began to rifle through the racks. Her face crinkled in distaste at a complicated ivory-colored getup. She continued to look, going through the neutral colored dresses to the rich colored dresses that were vibrant and shimmering. Rinoa sighed; she always preferred to wear dark colors. It was the way she had always been.

She spotted a gown from the corner of her eye and she approached it. The dress was strapless with a corset top in greyish blue velvet. The skirt was navy blue and ankle length. Navy blue ribbon ribbed the corset. Rinoa went to the changing room with the dress. A redheaded girl with a nametag that read "Megan" was waiting there. She unlocked the door. "That's going to look great on you," the girl commented.

"Let's hope so," Rinoa said with a smile.

Rinoa went into the booth and changed into the dress. It was a perfect fit. Rinoa was relieved. She opened the door. Molly and Trish were standing with the young employee. They looked at her. Molly's eyes lit up. "What a beautiful dress," Molly breathed. Trish nodded.

"Navy blue…I guess we can give you a pass," Trish joked. "Seriously, though, it's beautiful."

"I thought, so, too," Rinoa replied with a smile. She went back into the change room to get back in her clothing. She couldn't stop admiring the dress.

"How is John Cena doing?" Molly asked. "You know, since you had to bail him out of jail."

"He's doing all right, but he's right pissed off with JBL. He's going to have his hands full on Sunday, guaranteed. Sending a man to jail over such a juvenile wrestling prank is a low blow…not to mention the low-blow he gave him. I think John can do this. He's hungry. I think he wants it more."

"I can't believe he kicked John like that, while he was handcuffed," Trish said, shaking her head in disgust. "I really thought Bradshaw was better than that."

"Really?" Rinoa said incredulously, opening the door. Trish conceded.

"Maria is a little bent out of shape that you took him out to dinner afterwards," Molly told Rinoa. "Shane was completely okay with it, wasn't he?"

"Of course he was fine with it. Shane knows my eyes don't wander. And I know his don't, either," she added. "John had a rough night and he hadn't had dinner. So I fed him before I took him back to his hotel. I would have done the same thing for anybody in his position. He didn't get special treatment."

"Where was Shane? He didn't go to the jail with you?" Trish asked. They were going to the counter to pay for the dresses. Rinoa was in the middle, Trish to the left, and Molly to the right.

"No. He was back at the hotel, watching Aaron," she told them. "Shane's been trying to push this 'me-time' thing. He told me to go visit everyone at _SmackDown_. I went to Dad's office and got John's message. They arrested him in his ring gear, so he didn't have his wallet to post bond. He didn't even have his shirt. I felt so bad for the poor guy – it was just a nightmare."

"That is rough," Molly sighed. "He must have been beside himself."

"No. He's just focused. He's more focused than I've ever seen him," Rinoa confessed, "which means tomorrow it's going to suck to be John 'Bradshaw' Layfield."

"I heard you had a run-in with Kurt Angle a little while ago," Trish told her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. As long as he stays away from my son, I'll be even better," Rinoa replied. "You know, I wouldn't be surprised if Candice, Torrie and Victoria were all in cahoots with that bastard."

"Well, you know how the saying goes," Molly told her. "Anything can happen in the WWE…"

"…And usually does," Trish and Rinoa finished with a laugh. Rinoa paid for her dress.

"Isn't that the truth?" Rinoa drawled. The ladies left, putting their sealed dresses in the trunk. The next stop was the beauty salon to get their hair, makeup and nails done.

* * *

"Hot Rod!"

"Rinoa McMahon, you sexy bitch!" Roddy Piper shouted with a wide smile on his face. He rushed over to give her a hug. During his stint in WCW, Roddy and Rinoa had struck up a casual friendship. He admired her desire to learn. He always called her a "student of the game". They were always happy to see each other. "Get your beautiful self over here and give me a hug!"

They hugged tightly, like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. She pulled back. "You clean up very nice," she told him with a smile. "How does it feel to know you're _finally _a Hall of Famer?"

"Fucking amazing," he told her. "And Ric inducting me…it feels like everything has come full circle. Him and I…we did a lot of stupid shit back in the day, I tell you. Some hotels _still_ won't let me stay there."

"I've heard some stories," Rinoa replied with a laugh. "I wish I could have been there for some of them. Who knows? I probably would have been painting shit red with the two of you."

"I heard you're a mother now, Rinoa. Congratulations."

"Thank you. He's staying with Maria and Christy's sisters for the night so I could be here," Rinoa told him. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Vince says you gave him a grandson."

"I did. He looks so much like Shane that it's kind of scary. The McMahons and their dominant genes," Rinoa said with a laugh. "He's such a wonderful father. I couldn't have gotten luckier."

"Have you thought about coming back to wrestling? You know the Divas would probably love to have you back. You're one of the best," Roddy told her. She smiled.

"Thank you. I've thought about it, but I just want to wait until Aaron gets a little bit older," she admitted. "I don't want to jump back in here and miss his first steps and his first words…I'll never get those moments back. I know I don't have to tell you about that."

"It's a sacrifice we've all made over the years, and I understand how you feel about that," Roddy told her. "Nobody blames you for wanting to wait a bit."

"Hey, Hot Rod? Just what on Earth do you think you're doing with my wife?"

Roddy turned. The teasing tone was coming from Shane, who approached quickly. He draped an arm around Rinoa and pulled her closer. Roddy smirked. "How did such a hot thing like you end up with a guy like this?" he teased. Rinoa laughed.

"Don't ever underestimate the power of the Shuffle, Piper," Shane told him. Rinoa laughed. Roddy excused himself to go run over things with Ric Flair. Shane hugged Rinoa, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "How was your day with Trish and Molly?" he asked. He kissed her again. "You look absolutely breathtaking, by the way."

"My day was great. How was the picnic at the park?"

"Great. Mom, Dad and Steph took tons of pictures. Between you and me, I think he's going to start walking anytime now." Rinoa smiled. Aaron could stand, but he just couldn't keep his balance for very long.

"Before we know it, we're going to have to childproof the shit out of the house. More than we have to now," she said with a laugh. Walking meant that Aaron would be climbing things in no time. She hoped he wasn't a daredevil like his father, but she was pretty sure he would be.

"Did you want to go and get settled in?"

"You go on without me. I just wanted to talk to Randy quick before the show starts," she told him. He smiled, even though she could tell he was apprehensive about her talking to Randy Orton after their scuffle. They hadn't really spoken since. Not through any fault of their own; just because _WrestleMania _season meant that everybody was busy. Nobody was exempt.

"Okay. I'll meet you in there." He kissed her on the cheek and disappeared. She turned to make her way backstage, crashing into Candice, Torrie and Victoria. The three of them were in generic black dresses that did little to hide their cleavage. Their hair was in ringlets. They all smiled at Rinoa. It gave her the creeps.

"Hi, Rinoa," Candice greeted, her voice sugary sweet. "How have you been?"

"Wonderful," Rinoa answered, fighting the urge to punch the GoDaddy Diva in the face. "How have the three of you been doing? Creating havoc?"

"Always," Torrie answered, looking past Rinoa. "Where's your husband?"

"Taking care of some last minute details," Rinoa answered. "You know how it is in the McMahon family." Rinoa looked at the clock on the wall. "Anyway, I need to go. I'll see you guys tomorrow at _WrestleMania_." The three of them opened their mouths to speak to her, but Rinoa pushed past them and disappeared. They looked at each other, offended. Rinoa never even looked back at them.

* * *

"Randal Keith Orton!"

Randy stopped dead in his tracks. Normally when somebody called him by his full name, it meant that he was in trouble. Quickly, he started going through his mind, wondering he had done. Was there anything he had done? He'd been so busy with preparing for his match with the Undertaker and getting rid of Stacy Keibler…he was pretty sure giving Stacy the RKO had gotten him in trouble with somebody. He sighed, turning to accept his punishment. Except it was Rinoa approaching, a wide smile on her face. His expression softened as she approached. "I had you scared for a moment there, didn't I?" she teased.

"You're evil," he told her with a laugh, hugging her. "You look beautiful tonight, Noa."

"Thank you, Randy. You clean up very nicely yourself. How are you?"

"Nervous as hell," he admitted. "I'm honored and all that my father wants me inducting him into the Hall of Fame, but I don't know if I'm going to do him justice."

"You're going to do fine. I'm sure he's just honored that you're going to do it. Do you have your speech written?"

"I do, but I've been tweaking it all day. It's a mess now and I'm too much of a chicken-shit to wing it." Rinoa laughed.

"Relax. Don't be so nervous. We have faith in you, Randy," she told him with a smile. "It's the Hall of Fame. It's supposed to be fun."

"Randy…Randy…" "Cowboy" Bob Orton stepped into Rinoa's view. Randy turned to face his father. The sweat was forming on his brow; Rinoa had never seen Randy so nervous in the entire time she had known him. But it was the most important night of Bob Orton's life, and she knew that Randy was afraid of ruining it. He was feeling the pressure of making it a good night for his father, of delivering a speech that did his father's career justice. "There you are, son. You look nervous. Lighten up," he said with a chuckle. He looked at Rinoa. "Who is this?"

"Dad, this is Rinoa McMahon. Shane's wife," Randy added.

"_This _gorgeous little thing is Rinoa?" he asked. Randy nodded. "By Golly, everything Randy has said about you has not done you one lick of justice," he said, extending his hand. Rinoa blushed, laughing, as she shook it.

"I certainly see where Randy gets his charm," she told him, winking at Randy.

"He tells me you're his guardian angel."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Rinoa confessed. "But I consider him one of my closest friends. I look out for him as much as I can."

"I appreciate that. Elaine has such a hard time with Randy being away so much, just like I was. She'll be happy to know there's somebody here who makes sure he's taken care of." Just then, a technician approached them, telling Bob and Randy they were needed, that the show was about to start. Before leaving, Bob turned to Rinoa. "The next time you and Shane are out in our neck of the woods, you two should stop by for dinner. Randy and Samantha come for dinner every Tuesday to talk about _Raw."_

"We definitely should. Thank you for the offer," Rinoa replied. They shook hands again. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Orton. Congratulations on going into the Hall of Fame tonight."

"Thank you. The pleasure was all mine, Mrs. McMahon," Bob answered. He turned and left. Rinoa hugged Randy tightly. Despite their arguments, she cared for him deeply, like a little brother.

"Good luck out there tonight, Randy. I'll see you after the show." He nodded. Rinoa disappeared into the main part of the theater to take her place beside her husband. Randy stole another look at the speech for his father one last time.


	11. WrestleMania 21

**Chapter Eleven: WrestleMania Goes Hollywood**

Rinoa arrived at the Staples Center in time for _WrestleMania 21 _with a wide smile on her face, excited for what she thought was the best _WrestleMania _card in recent years. The night before had been amazing; the Hall of Fame class, the McMahon family, John Cena, Randy Orton, Chris and Trish had all gone out after the show to a local club and had basically stayed until it shut down. Shane and Rinoa picked up Aaron from Janny and Deena's; he was fast asleep, and didn't wake up until it was time to be fed a few hours later. From there, it was time to get ready for _WrestleMania_, and Deena and Janny were more than happy to take Aaron for an additional few hours this night as well; they said they had never watched such a well-behaved baby.

She was dressed in a black V-necked T-shirt with a pair of black slacks and black heels, dressing the part of a casual, corporate employee. Her hair was styled around her face, her makeup natural. Shane and Rinoa were looking forward to separate matches; the two of them were going back and forth about the plans after _WrestleMania_ for all the winners and losers of their matches. Rinoa made sure that she stopped and chatted with technicians, and stopped and shook hands with a few of the celebrities who were hanging out backstage; she had the chance to meet Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and Marg Helgenberger from _CSI_, a show that Rinoa thoroughly enjoyed, though she didn't tell the woman she was a bigger Sara fan. Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top was also there; a regular guest of WWE, he had gotten to know the McMahon family fairly well, enough to have even sent Shane and Rinoa a congratulatory bouquet when they had gotten married. Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider was there as something of a marketing ploy; later on in the year, around June, the remake of _The Longest Yard_, with developmental signee Dalip Singh, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bill Goldberg, was going to be coming out in theatres, and the preliminary reports were saying it was going to be a fair sized hit for Adam's Happy Madison production company. To Rinoa, it was cool having the chance to meet people she was a fan of, who happened to be fans of the product. It never ceased to amaze her just who were fans of the sport she loved so much; Adam had told her about watching Andre The Giant and Hulk Hogan growing up, while Rob Schneider had told her he was a Ricky Steamboat fan, and Rinoa even went as far as to gather Ricky and introduce him to Rob, who, for an enormous movie star, was pretty starstruck himself. Motorhead was also in attendance, their first WrestleMania performing since_ WrestleMania X-Seven _in Houston four years before, to once again do Triple H's theme live for the fans. But Triple H, being a diehard Motorhead fan, was hoarding them, doing a special interview for the _WrestleMania 21_ DVD and was letting nobody get close to the guys, who were hanging out with Triple H in his locker room. It didn't bother Rinoa; she thought it was kind of cute that Hunter was still so starstruck over his favorite band.

"Noa! Noa!"

Rinoa turned her head to see Trish Stratus, already in her ring gear, approaching, a wide smile on her face, the Women's Championship slung over her left shoulder. "You would not believe how happy I am to see you here," Trish said happily, hugging Rinoa.

"Likewise," Rinoa replied. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything." The two Divas began to make their way towards catering for a drink. "You ready for tonight?"

"Very much so," Trish replied. "Christy Hemme is not going to know what hit her."

"And if Lita gets involved?"

"She'll be feeling the same way." They smiled. "How sweet was Randy's speech last night?" Trish asked.

"It was a tremendous speech," Rinoa replied. "Randy was so nervous all the way up to it. I've never seen the Legend Killer so terrified." Trish laughed. "It was nice finally meeting 'Cowboy' Bob... I actually got an invite to have dinner with the Ortons the next time I'm in St. Louis."

"Nice," Trish said with a laugh. "Shane invited too?"

"Of course." Rinoa smiled. "You know, I'm really waiting for Randy to get it together and propose to Samantha. From the sounds of things at the bar last night, his father is wondering the same thing."

"You think he will?"

"She's put up with a lot of shit. Frankly, we all have. Hopefully when he gets his act together, he'll see that and he will." Rinoa smiled. "As his semi-big sister, I approve of the woman. She has the patience of a freaking saint." They laughed.

"I know...I swear, though, you and Orton should have been siblings. You two just got so attached to one another."

"He's the brother I never had," she said with a grin. "I like having somebody to look out for back here, anyway, and he's just too sweet to pass up...though most of the people here don't see that." Trish laughed. "Anyways, I should probably go hit him up and make sure he's good to go. I mean, he's got Taker tonight." Trish laughed. "Guy is probably terrified. And, if I don't go see Taker while I'm here, he's gonna put an old school curse on my ass." Trish hugged Rinoa and they said their goodbyes. Shane was running over some stuff with Stephanie and Vince while Rinoa made her way to Randy's locker room. She knocked.

"Yeah?"

Randy Orton turned his head as Rinoa entered the room. He smiled. "Hey."

"There's the man of the day," she said, giving him a hug. "Everyone's raving about how great you did inducting your father last night."

"You're so lying."

"I'm so not lying. Trish Stratus was just chatting me up about it." She gave him a once over. He was focused, well-composed, considering facing the Undertaker was supposed to be one of the biggest matches of his young career. He was dressed in an RKO T-shirt and already in his ring gear. "How are you?"

"Ready," he said. "I know the Undertaker's not an easy opponent. Especially at _WrestleMania_. But I can do this. I'm the Legend Killer, after all." She smiled and hugged him. "I'm going to end his streak and then when my career is over, I'll take my place in the Hall of Fame as the undisputed Legend Killer." They both smiled. "So, what's up?"

"Good luck, Randy. I wanted to come by and say that before the show started."

"Thanks, Noa. That means a lot," he said. "What match are you excited about?"

"JBL-Cena," she replied. Randy nodded.

"Yeah, I heard you bailed him out of prison." She cocked an eyebrow. "He is a friend of mine, Noa. Thank God you were there for him the way you've always been there for me." She smiled.

"I'm just glad I caught the blinking light on Dad's phone," she said. "But he's going to beat JBL from pillar to post tonight, so it should be pretty good." He laughed. "Anyways, I should get going. I have a million rounds to make before the show starts. Life of a McMahon." He laughed and gave her a hug. She bid him farewell and made her way down the hall towards the Undertaker's locker room.

"What?"

_This had better be good, _The Undertaker thought to himself. He was in another zone at the moment, and he hated to be interrupted. The door opened and his expression changed when Rinoa walked in. "Noa!" he said happily, approaching her quickly and hugging her tightly. "How's it going?"

"Great, Deadman," she said. "It's a shame I didn't see you at the ceremony last night."

"Apparently, dead men don't do Hall of Fames," he said and they broke into a fit of laughter. "I heard that my opponent tonight did a wonderful job inducting his father into the Hall of Fame though."

"That he did. Anyways, I did have an ulterior motive on behalf of Orton for coming in here. Take it easy on Randall tonight...remember he's still young and stupid." Taker laughed before going silent in contemplation.

"I seriously think he's going to be the future of this business," Taker replied. "If he could only get his shit together."

"Young and stupid," Rinoa reminded him. "Remember, you were there once. You didn't just wake up as an old man, Deadman."

"Sometimes I wonder," he mused. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "How's Aaron?"

"Good. He's crawling like crazy, so he'll be walking soon, I think. It's a matter of time. Between you and I though, I just think he likes the attention of being picked up and whatnot." He laughed. "He's growing like a weed, though. Looking more like Shane everyday."

"He's got to like that. How have you been doing?"

"Fine. I've been thinking about having another child, but after how difficult Aaron's birth was, I've been kind of skeptical about going down that road again."

"Have you talked to Shane about it?"

She shook her head. "He's so preoccupied with Aaron and work that we haven't really talked about having another child. But I know eventually he will probably want another one."

"At least you didn't need the hysterectomy," he told her. "I know you and Shane would have been completely devastated by that."

"Yeah, but if there's anything I've learned in the last five years, it's that Shane and I can survive anything." Taker smiled.

"Isn't that the truth?" he said with a smile. "After everything that's happened, if you two are still together, then, frankly, you two were meant to be." She smiled.

"I feel the same way about him," she said with a laugh. "How are things with Sara?"

"Good, good," he said. "She's got to be sick of me taking so many sabbaticals. I think I'm a better husband when I'm like long gone." She laughed.

"I doubt that very much, Deadman," she said. Her face darkened a bit though. "Do you have any vacations set this year?"

"No," he said. "I don't plan on ending things with Orton after tonight," he said. "If he's the future of this business, then quite frankly, he's going to have to survive with the best." Rinoa smiled.

"He'll survive it, Deadman. I have unshakeable faith in Randy." He smiled.

"I think that goes a long way with him, Rinoa. I really do."

"I wonder sometimes, but he's a good man. He's just got a lot of shit he needs to work through. And when everyone loses faith in him, I'm the only one who still tells him I believe he's good for big things. Dad's wanted to release him a few times, especially after the Diva Search stuff." Rinoa hated to think about that. She had to work double time to save Randy's job because Stephanie had sided with Vince. And as much as Shane sided with his father, he did support Rinoa in her efforts. For that, she was eternally thankful.

"Well, I'll try to keep him in line as much as I can," he assured her. "To make your job easier." She smiled.

"Thanks. I appreciate that. I hate having to wear the hard hat all the time."

"I don't mind wearing it" he told her with a grin. "Anyway, there's word going around here that Vince has got an ace in the hole with Orton's behavior." Rinoa cocked an eyebrow.

"Where did you hear that?" she asked. She hadn't heard anything about that. But Vince was really careful not to involve her too much about Randy Orton's affairs because she was so close to him. Taker shrugged.

"Around. Anyways, I've got to go talk to Vince about the show."

"Yeah," Rinoa said. "I want to go wish John Cena luck before his big match tonight."

"Yeah. I heard you busted him out of prison the other night." Rinoa laughed.

"Yeah, I did," she laughed. "Poor guy had everything left at the arena and no one returning his call." Taker grimaced.

"I swear on it, Rinoa. You're a guardian angel."

"I don't know much about that," she said. "But I was just glad I was there to help."

"I'm sure he was, too," he said, walking out of the locker room with her. "Which match are you looking forward to the most tonight?" he asked.

"Yours and Orton's, and Eddie and Rey's," she said. "I think you two are going to be the show stealers tonight."

"You're so good for my ego, Noa," he told her with a laugh. They said their goodbyes and separated, with Rinoa going to John Cena's locker room. She knocked.

"Who is it?"

"It's Rinoa, John. Are you decent?"

He opened the door, dressed in his gear. "I guess that depends on your definition of 'decent'," he said with a smirk. She shook her head and he side stepped so she made her way in. "How's it going?"

"Great," she replied. "The girls are looking after Aaron so I could be here tonight. I didn't want to miss this."

"Have you seen the setup?" he asked. She nodded. "It looks fucking incredible, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does. I thought the ad campaign was genius, too," she said. He nodded.

"I had a lot of fun doing the 'Few Good Men' thing," he said. "Which one do you think was the best?"

"Truthfully. Hunter's. That one absolutely killed me," she said with a laugh. She put on her best Scottish accent. "'I consume them, with fireballs from my eyes, and lightning, from my arse. But I am, Triple H.'" They broke into a fit of laughter.

"That one was definitely pretty genius," he agreed. "What about Taker's 'Dirty Harry' thing?"

"Man, that wig was godawful."

"Agreed. At least I just had to don a Marine suit."

"Speaking of which, I heard you just finished filming that. How was that?"

"Amazing," he said. "It was a really great opportunity to get the chance to make a movie and meet the guy who did _T2. _I love that movie."

"So do I," Rinoa agreed. "Better than the original."

"Agreed." She smiled. "Are you ready for tonight?"

"Yeah. Vince already stopped by to wish me luck," he said, putting his wrist bands on. "Just think, only last year it was my first _WrestleMania_ and I was winning the US title off of Big Show. Now, I'm main eventing my brand for the big title."

"Got any plans for when you win?" she asked.

"Huge plans. I've actually got something going right now with one of them, I should have that one to show off in the next few weeks or so."

"Well, I can't wait to see that," she said.

"Look, Noa, I can't thank you enough for helping me out the other night," he said. She dismissed it with a wave.

"I was just glad I caught your phone call," she said. "Think nothing of it; I'd do it for everyone. Just be sure to give JBL a taste of his own medicine tonight."

"Way ahead of you," Cena said. "He stole my US title, blew up my US title, had me arrested and cheap shotted me in the nuts on the way out. If I didn't beat his ass, it'd just be sheer injustice." She nodded.

"That it would be," she agreed. "Anyways, I'm off to see Rey and Eddie to wish them luck. Did you want to come with me? I'm sure they'd love to hear some words of encouragement."

"Sure. I always love seeing Eddie," John said with a wide grin. The two of them left the locker room. John stopped here and there to accept well wishes in his match. Batista stopped them on the way and they all offered congratulatory words to one another, as Batista was main eventing his brand's event, against Triple H, who was yet to be seen backstage, since he refused to give Motorhead some space. Batista offered them a farewell as John and Rinoa went to meet Eddie and Rey in their locker room. The WWE tag team champions were set to face one another in just a run of the mill competition that Rinoa thought was going to steal the show. The match card said they were going on first, so she knew they were going to set the bar high from the first go.

They knocked on the door and heard Eddie and Rey shout for them to come in. Rinoa opened the door and they walked in and Eddie and Rey exclaimed greetings to the duo. John and Rinoa greeted them back and everybody exchanged hugs. "_Hola, mamacita," _Eddie raved. "You ready for _WrestleMania?"_

"You better believe it," Rinoa said. "How about you two? Ready to blow the roof off the Staples Center?"

"You're damn right we are," Rey said, readjusting his mask. "How have you been?"

"Great," she said. "Happy to be experiencing this _WrestleMania."_

"Good luck tonight, man," Eddie said to John, slapping hands with him.

"Thanks. Means a lot," John said. It was no secret backstage that John was appreciative of Eddie taking him under his wing as much as he had. John loved hanging around Eddie as much as Rinoa did, just because Eddie was so infectious, and everybody around him, irregardless what mood they were in, were happy when Eddie left to spread his cheer to others. John turned to Rinoa.

"Anyway, I should go get a quick workout in before the match," he said. She smiled.

"I should go and talk to my husband," she replied. "Have fun out there tonight."

"You know I will," he said. "I've been waiting to get my hands on JBL for the longest time." They slapped hands into a hug before John disappeared down the hallway.

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!"

Shane slammed his glass down on the table with a loud battle cry echoing through the applauding bar. _WrestleMania 21 _had gone off without a hitch; Rey had defeated Eddie, Edge had won Money In The Bank, Akebono had mopped the floor with Big Show in a Sumo match. Trish had retained her championship after leveling Christy with the dreaded Chick Kick, Underaker had defeated Randy Orton, and both John Cena and Batista had captured the championships for their respective brands, leaving exhausted Triple H and JBL to mope in their drinks. John applauded Shane as Rinoa watched, sipping her water. She was having fun, although she was wondering how Janny and Deena were handling Aaron. It was the first time she had ever left him alone with anyone for extended periods of time, but she was glad he adjusted well to people.

"What a night tonight!" Trish said, holding her bottle of beer up for a toast. A few people joined her before taking a swig.

"Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio was a masterpiece!" Rinoa announced. Everyone at the table nodded, including Shawn Michaels, who Triple H had talked into coming out.

"But the real showstealer tonight was the Showstopper himself," Shane announced, toasting his empty glass with Shawn's bottle. Shawn had lost to Kurt Angle. Rinoa nodded.

"This had to be one of the best _WrestleManias _in years," Rinoa gushed. Everyone nodded in agreement. "And I think we owe an honorary toast to the guys who designed, created and executed the set, the theme and the commercials."

"Here here!" John Cena echoed everyone, toasting before taking another swig. Shane had talked Cena into a celebration, Shane O'Mac style. John was so happy to have won and main evented his first huge pay-per-view, that he took Shane on his offer. Cena was currently feeling a good buzz, like most of the guys, who were happy that the biggest show had gone off without any major injuries, any major dysfunctions. Overall, it had been a phenomenal night, and Rinoa and Shane couldn't be happier to see the locker room morale so high.


	12. Victoria

**Chapter Twelve: Victoria**

Shane was backstage at _Raw, _grabbing himself a cup of coffee in hopes of getting through the night with a minimal amount of sleep. Rinoa was back at the hotel with Aaron, trying to wind down from having two consecutive latenights out with her friends, who had definitely tried to get her to come out and party with them on the Raw after Mania. But she just wasn't up for it; she was wondering if her partying days were behind her. He missed her presence backstage, even though she was only a ten minute drive away; but he was comforted knowing that he would see them when he got back to the hotel at the end of the night. From there, they'd be going home and from next week on, it'd be back to just Shane on the road. He wasn't looking forward to that; he loved having his family around. He couldn't wait until Aaron was old enough to start traveling with them, and to start traveling with them during the summer vacations when he was in school; anything to have them closer.

"Mind on your money or your money on your mind?"

Shane looked up to see Victoria standing beside him and he felt his stomach lurch. She was dressed in her ring gear; a yellow halter bustier with a black trim and matching short shorts, her legs covered with fishnet stockings. Her raven hair was down, long around her face and streaked with candy apple red, a warm smile across her face that seemed genuine. As sweet and sincere as she may have looked, Shane knew how wily some of the Divas could be, having learned his lessons from Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson after he had gotten together with Rinoa.

"Family on the mind," he said matter-of-factly, grabbing a few packets of sugar and ripping them open. He hated feeling so uncomfortable around Divas again, but he knew that something was going on and he was caught in the crosshairs. He didn't have a doubt in his head that this entire thing had to do with Rinoa, but until things picked up, he couldn't put his finger on anything.

"Ah yeah, that reminds me," Victoria asked, grabbing a nearby bottle of water. "Is Rinoa mad at me about something? She didn't seem very happy with me at the Hall of Fame. I mean, Torrie, Candy and I were trying to be nice, but she blew us off." Victoria put a pout on her face. "It's like since she's had her son, we're suddenly not good enough for her or her son." She made no attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice. Shane fought the urge to smirk. He shook his head.

"Hall of Fame. We're McMahons; it's a busy weekend," he said with a shrug. "Doesn't give her much time to talk." He tossed his stir stick into the garbage can and went to walk away, but Victoria put a hand on his arm. He turned to stare at her, an eyebrow cocked.

"Please talk to her. If there's something wrong, I'd like to settle it," Victoria said. "Noa and I have been friends so long, I'd hate to see it go down the tubes." Shane nodded and excused himself before walking away. Victoria stared after him, a grin on her face.

"Batista could pin me anytime," Stacy Keibler said with a laugh. It seemed as though the leggy Baltimore Diva had rebounded pretty well after being unceremoniously humiliated by Randy Orton before _WrestleMania. _She was in the Divas locker room with Candice Michelle, Maria Kanellis and Christy Hemme.

"I could say the same about John Cena," Maria gushed. "I would just love it if he came to _Raw."_

"Well, no one's exempt in that draft lottery," Candice said with a sly grin, "so don't be surprised."

"Come on, Candice. Who would you hook up with here?" Stacy asked. It was as though it were a game with her; the men being something of conquests since she had hooked up with Test, Scott Steiner, Randy Orton and David Flair in WCW. Candice tossed a glossy curl over her shoulder.

"Shane McMahon. He can shuffle his sexy ass over to me anyday," Candice grinned. Christy looked disgusted.

"Good luck with that. He's happily married," Christy replied. Stacy nodded.

"Yeah. I got to escort him to the ring one night, but he wouldn't let things go any further. Rinoa is the only woman he has eyes for. It's always been that way," Stacy added, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Trust me, Candice, you're not the first girl to lust over him, and you're definitely not going to get anywhere."

Victoria walked into the room and smiled at everyone. "Hey. How is everyone tonight?" she asked, a grin spreading across her face. The girls shrugged.

"Good. Wishing one of us could get that goddamn title off of Trish," Stacy replied with a roll of her eyes. "Between her and Rinoa, I don't know which Diva nauseates me more."

"Rinoa," Victoria replied, crinkling her face in distaste. "Her head's definitely swelled up since she had Shane's baby." The Divas, with the exception of Christy and an uncomfortable looking Maria, nodded in agreement. "I can't wait to get our plan in motion, Candy, baby." Candice nodded, a seductive yet evil grin stretching across her face. Maria cocked an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Candice dismissed her with a wave.

"Don't worry your stupid little head about it," Victoria replied. "Come on, Candy. Let's go harass Stratus a bit." They nodded and left, Stacy leaving a short while after. Christy and Maria glared at the door.

"Just when you thought Candice couldn't get any sluttier," Maria said, scowling.

"Never ceases to surprise me," Christy replied, shaking her head. "God, I hope Shane and Rinoa are careful."

"I think they're just asking for Rinoa to come back," Maria replied. "And I don't know if that's smart or if it's the biggest mistake of their life, but it's going to be a matter of time at the rate they're going."

"Excuse me? Yeah, I do have a problem...I have a problem that they seem to be in cahoots to hook you up with Candice!"

Rinoa was incredulous in her hotel room as Shane stood in front of her, hanging up his suit jacket. He had just relayed to her the entire conversation with Victoria. She couldn't believe the gall of Victoria. "Just calm down, Noa, honey," he said, sitting down beside her. Aaron was asleep in his playpen/crib that had come up from the hotel. "Nobody can be stolen unless they want to be." She stared at him.

"Do you want to be stolen, Shane?" He could see the idea pained her. He brushed his hand to her face, moving a strand of hair back from her face and shook his head.

"Not in a million years," he said, leaning in and kissing his wife. She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to deepen the kiss. They pulled back when there was a knock on the door. She saw his expression darken and she giggled. "Whoever it is, it'd better be good," he said with a wink, standing and answering the door. It was Maria and Christy, both of them in their pajamas; Christy in a pair of black Everlast drawstring shorts and a white sports bra, her hair back in a high ponytail. She looked more like she was about to go training than go to sleep. Maria was behind her, in a white cotton nightgown, her hair down around her face.

"I'm so sorry to bother you guys so late," Maria apologized, "But Christy and I were talking and we had to come to you guys. It wouldn't be right if we didn't."

"Whoa," Rinoa said with a smile. "Slow down, have a seat. What's going on?" The girls nodded and pulled up chairs from the kitchenette table. They sat across from Shane and Rinoa.

"Well...we were all in the locker room talking tonight, and we were all talking about...well, guys that we thought were hot," Christy said, a blush crawling on her features. Rinoa laughed; she remembered those days. "And, well, Candice..."

"Candice said she had the hots for you, Shane," Maria blurted. She saw Rinoa's face darken. "And we wouldn't have said anything about it otherwise, except Victoria came in and said something about a plan going into motion and how they were going to knock Noa down a peg because she had grown a swollen head after having Aaron." Rinoa's jaw dropped.

"Are you fucking serious?" Rinoa asked. She stood up. "How about I go deal with this now?" She went to move, but Shane wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her back onto his lap.

"Slow down, Killer," he teased, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "There's no sense in getting all amped up over this. Christy and Maria here are obviously keeping their eyes out, and I'm sure Trish will take care of anyone else who steps into your path." They nodded.

"We wanted to warn you more than anything, Shane," Christy said. "Because we know that Rinoa is hardly ever on the road." Shane nodded.

"Well, I appreciate that. Thanks for looking out for us," he said. "But I sincerely wish the girls the best of luck. I love Rinoa, nothing's going to change that." Christy and Maria smiled. Rinoa stood up and hugged the two Divas.

"I appreciate you guys coming to me. Please keep Shane protected when I'm not around."

"We'll try our best," Maria promised. The girls knew of Rinoa's past exploits before making it into WWE and they were in awe of her accomplishments. They had enough respect for her to not let anything get between her and her happiness, and for that she was grateful. She was thinking about more than her love for Shane; she wanted Aaron to grow up with both his parents, even if they were traveling a lot. The Diva Search contestants excused themselves and left, leaving Shane and Rinoa together.

"I'm going to fucking kill those girls, I swear," Rinoa murmured. Shane smiled and hugged her close.

"Does that mean you're coming back?"

"I am seriously thinking about it."


	13. Ashley Massaro

**Chapter Thirteen: Ashley Massaro**

Life in WWE didn't seem to slow down in Rinoa's absence. The 2005 draft lottery had created a massive shakeup on the WWE landscape; John Cena and Batista, the respective champions of _SmackDown _and_ Raw, _switched brands, while Randy Orton and Christian both traded in their red T-shirts for the _SmackDown_ blue, the rumors about Orton's draft regarding his behavior coming to fruition. Candice Michelle was traded to _SmackDown_, and both her and Torrie Wilson began a small feud with Melina that lasted through the _Great American Bash_ before being traded back to the flagship program on Monday nights.

As the months wore on, Aaron had cut most of his teeth and was now able to stand for seconds at a time alone, but unable to make his first step. He was a vocal baby, always murmuring, gurgling and squealing in delight and complaint, depending on the circumstances. He began to look more and more like Shane, with his eyes and with his chin. Rinoa wondered if she would ever see any of herself in her son. Shane and Rinoa were just as strong as ever; however, it appeared that Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle and Victoria were going to be a dangerous trio for them in the coming future.

The Diva Search competition was winding to a close, with Ashley Massaro the apparent favorite with the WWE fans. Ashley had started training with Fit Finlay and Trish Stratus about a month before, determined to have some experience before the contest was over, and was coming along nicely. Trish and Fit were constructive, but were never afraid to tell her what she was doing wrong and how to improve.

Ashley knew that Rinoa McMahon had been very vocal in Ashley being selected, one of the top people who picked out the contestants who were going to be auditioned, and she felt all the more empowered to know she had that kind of support backstage; especially because Trish, Lita and a few of the other Divas had told her just how much distaste Rinoa had for these contests. Ashley understood; it was a catch-22. The Divas had resentment for the ones who won the contest, however, she knew that they would have taken the opportunity had it been given to them. But the New Yorker was fully aware that it was going to be an uphill battle to erase the stigma of being a Diva Search contestant.

At the moment, Ashley Massaro was in the red canvased ring, awaiting her fate, dressed in a revealing silvery dress. Would she win the 2005 Diva Search and the two hundred and fifty thousand dollars? She felt uncomfortable in her own skin as she felt the eyes of the fans on her. Jonathan Coachman was making his final spiel before he announced the winner, and a million thoughts were running through her head. She wasn't stupid; she had heard the whispers about what was going on between Rinoa, Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle and Victoria. Trish was basically training her to make sure that when things went down, somebody had her back. If she didn't win, everything would probably be screwed, unless Trish and Rinoa really lobbied for Vince to hire her. But would they? Would Vince even want to hire her? She didn't know. It was hard to think about as she ran a hand through her thick blonde and black streaked hair.

Rinoa McMahon had faith in Ashley Massaro. She knew that meant a lot. Just about everybody backstage sang the praises of Rinoa McMahon like she was some kind of saint. John Cena had even regaled her with a story about how she had bailed him out of jail three days before _WrestleMania_ 21, when he had been arrested for defacing JBL's limousine. She had been thoughtful enough to bring his stuff and had taken him out for dinner, refusing to allow him to treat her. John had told her if there were anybody who were incredibly close to Rinoa, it was Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and the Undertaker, three men who had been to the trenches with Rinoa and had emerged unscathed with her every time. They treated her like a goddess whenever she came to visit; and everyone Ashley had spoken to had told her that Shane and Rinoa were a perfect match for one another, two people who were so sweet-natured and goodhearted that it was hard to say something negative about them.

"And the winner of the 2005 Diva Search is..."

This was it. Ashley didn't think she could handle the suspense. She stood with her hands on her hips, sweat forming on her brow as she watched the TitanTron for the video. Depending on what the fans wanted, Trish and Rinoa had backup.

"Ashley Massaro!"

The crowd exploded and Ashley let out a breath of relief as she began to celebrate in the ring.

"Ashley Massaro?"

Ashley looked at a brunette woman with striking green eyes standing before her with Trish. She was dressed in a black skirt suit with a white T-shirt underneath. Ashley nodded, wiping the excess tears and running mascara and eyeliner from her eyes.

"Ash, this is who I've been telling you about," Trish said. "This is Rinoa McMahon."

Ashley smiled and shook her hand. "Thank you for having so much faith in me," she said, a short laugh/sob escaping her lips. She was trying to handle the enormous cheque while shaking hands and hugging the women.

"Think nothing of it. Trish tells me you're coming along really well in the ring," Rinoa replied with a smile. "I can't wait to see what you bring to the table." They heard a giggle and they turned to see Victoria, Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle laughing amongst themselves. They shot a stare at the trio of women, who stared right back.

"Which one's trying to horn in on your husband?" Ashley asked.

"The one who looks like her face got caught in a car compactor," Rinoa whispered, keeping the fake smile plastered to her face as she waved to them. Ashley stifled a giggle and Trish shook her head.

"It's Candice, Ash," Trish answered.

"I liked Rinoa's answer better," she replied. Rinoa nodded in agreement; she liked Ashley already. Shane emerged from the Gorilla and gave Ashley a hug.

"Congratulations. Welcome to the family," he said. He turned and hugged and kissed his wife. "Where's Aaron?"

"Vince wanted some grandfather time with him, so he told me to come out and congratulate Ashley here. Unless your dad is parading him around to everyone, he should be in his office."

"Can I go meet your son?" Ashley asked. Rinoa nodded.

"Sure. You going to come along, Shane-O?"

"Yeah, sure. Gerry's holding the fort down anyways." The four of them began to move down the hallway. As Shane passed, Candice slapped him on the backside. Shane stopped and turned, and she winked at him and shot him a seductive grin. He scowled at her and motioned for Trish to keep Rinoa moving, who was so busy talking to Ashley that she didn't notice what had just happened. He continued with them, shaking his head in anger and disgust. Trish shot him a look and he nodded. It was going to get real bad in a hurry.


	14. Break The Camel's Back

Shane entered his father's makeshift office Monday night, surprised to find Candice lying on his leather couch, a knee up seductively. She was dressed in a black and red corset that pushed her breasts up to ridiculous heights, with a miniskirt that had ridden up, revealing a black lacy thong with a garter and stockings. Her feet were adorned with stiletto heels that wrapped around her ankles. Her hair was bouncy and pinned back, her lips a classic red. She was making bedroom eyes at him, her lips parting.

Shaking his head in disgust, Shane opted not to even acknowledge Candice's presence. He went directly to his father's desk and began to pick up the file folders he needed to take to Pat Patterson; invoices regarding developmental talent evaluations from Ohio Valley Wrestling.

"Hello, Shane," Candice breathed, her voice husky. She ran a lazy finger down her neck and over the swell of her breasts that threatened to burst out of its corset. Shane didn't look at her; he wished Rinoa was there, but she was at home with Aaron. It was a miracle he had even talked her into coming out the week before, but Trish had gone to bat for him as well. She wanted Rinoa to come out and meet Ashley. Rinoa agreed, since Trish and Rinoa seemed to have plans for Ashley following her Diva Search win.

He turned to leave, but Candice was right there, so dangerously close that he could smell her perfume in his nostrils. She had him wedged between her and his father's desk. "I guess you didn't hear me," she said softly, staring at his body up and down, licking her glossy lips as though she were a lioness getting ready to pounce on her prey. "Hi, Shane," she greeted again. "Where is your wife?"

"Rinoa is at home. With our son," he told her firmly. He hated that he always felt like he had to drill it into her head that he was happily married and not attracted to her by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, she was beautiful – it seemed to be a prerequisite with the Divas – but to him Rinoa was the ultimate beauty; a walking angel.

Candice ran her hand through his hair. He tried to bat her hand away, but she was persistent, her fingers ruffling through his hair. Her eyes were on his lips. He could feel the intensity of her gaze.

"What a shame," Candice pouted, letting her hand fall languidly around his neck, her manicured nails dancing lightly on the back of his neck. He involuntarily shivered, feeling the hairs rise. "You know, I've wanted to talk to you for a long time, Shane. I've just never had the courage to say the things I wanted to say to you."

"And what's that?" he asked, trying to keep his breath steady. His body was threatening to betray him with the way she was moving against him, her movement fluid. He had no intention of cheating on Rinoa, especially with Candice Michelle, but he was upset to find his body was physically reacting to a routine he knew she had played on countless others. Asking her to elaborate probably wasn't the best thing to do, but he still had no intention of taking her on his father's desk. Cheating on Rinoa was the dumbest thing he could ever do, and he knew it.

She pressed up against him closer, and he tried to back away, but there was just no space for him to do so. She put her knee between his legs, making sure to rub against him provocatively. Shane tried to push her away, but he was worried about opening himself up to a lawsuit if he was too rough with her. He could see it in her eyes; she could be vindictive if she wanted to. It was why she was aligned with Victoria and Torrie. He didn't want her to file a complaint over a situation where there was no witness. He thought about Rinoa and Aaron. He tried to move, but if he moved anymore he would have been sitting on his father's desk.

"I've always thought you were so very _sexy_," Candice whispered into his ear, licking the outer shell. Shane shook his head and tried to move, but she really had him blocked. "I've always wondered what it would be like if the two of us…" She whispered in his ear. Shane's eyes widened.

"Candice, get off me."

"Come on, Shane," she purred. "It could be our little secret." She moaned, running her lips along his neck, placing kisses along his jawline. "Rinoa never has to know. I can do things you've never dreamed of."

"I'd never cheat on my wife," he informed her firmly, trying to move his head away from her lips. "I mean it, Candice. You are crossing some serious boundaries. Get off me."

"What are you going to do, Shane? Are you going to punish me?" she purred, a devilish smirk crossing her face. "Between you and I, I've wanted to satisfy you for a long time. Just sit back and enjoy it." Her body slid down his. He could feel every part of her moving down his body. Shane looked up at the ceiling and tried his best to take his thoughts elsewhere. He was going to have to make a move and stop her soon. Her hands started working at his belt buckle. He moved back, spilling a few files over the edge of his father's desk. She got his belt buckle and the top button undone in spite of his struggle. She began to work on the zipper.

A hand grabbed Candice by the back of her hair and threw her down to the ground. Shane looked at the angry face of Ashley Massaro. Earlier in the night, Ashley had been humiliated by Torrie, Candice and Victoria by being put into a match with Victoria, despite the fact she had no in-ring experience. This was the perfect way for Ashley to get her revenge. She was still in pain after taking Victoria's Widows Peak finisher.

"The man said no, you useless whore," Ashley snarled. She leaned down, grabbing Candice roughly by the hair and pulling her head back. Shane was fixing his button and belt. "It doesn't feel so good when it's a fair fight, does it, _Candy_? Next time you want to meet, bring your friends. I'll bring mine." She let go of Candice and took her place beside Shane. Candice got on all fours, trying to scamper to her feet, but Ashley put her foot on Candice's backside and shoved her back to the floor with her foot. "Get the fuck out of here, bitch. Tell your friends if they want to start shit, we'll play ball."

Candice scampered out of the office. Shane looked at Ashley. "I owe you," he said after a moment.

"Don't think anything about it," Ashley told him. "You got some lipstick on your neck." Shane nodded, blushing. He was embarrassed about the entire situation. He turned away from Ashley and started fixing himself up and straightening up his father's office.

"Are you okay?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"Truthfully, Ash, I'm pretty fucking far from okay. I have no idea just how in the hell I'm going to explain this to Rinoa. She's going to be so angry, and most of its going to be at me."

"I would be pissed, too. That fucking bitch just tried to blow you."

"I guess I should call her." Ashley shook her head.

"Let me do it, Shane. See if I can talk her off the ledge before you talk to her. Go handle whatever it was that brought you in here, and I'll deal with your wife."

"I should…"

"Call her tonight. But let me deal with it now and prepare her." Shane nodded reluctantly as he grabbed the files he needed. He left the office. Ashley sat down in the leather chair behind Vince's desk and picked up the phone to call Rinoa. She ran a hand through her dark blonde hair, dreading the phone call with every ring that passed.

* * *

Shane rested his head in his hands when he returned back to the hotel. He was dreading calling Rinoa. He hadn't seen Ashley again, but he knew that she had called her. When Ashley said she was going to do something, she did it. She had even given out her cell phone number to the crowd and spoken to everybody that phoned her.

Now he had to face up to Rinoa, and he was legitimately afraid. With a deep breath, he sat down on the bed and dialed their home number. It took a few rings. His breath caught when he heard her voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"It took you long enough to call," Rinoa said. Her voice was cold and detached. He wondered if she had cried when Ashley told her. "Ashley told me what she saw. What happened?"

"What did she tell you?" he asked. He was nervous.

"She told me she found Candice trying to blow you in Dad's office," Rinoa informed him. The anger was very evident in her voice. He didn't need to be there to know that she was the angriest she had ever been. He could sense her shaking on the other end of the phone, he could hear the strain in her voice. Shane wished Candice knew that Rinoa Fielder-McMahon had one of the worst tempers he'd ever seen. She didn't quite put Stephanie to shame, but when she got angry, she was a ticking time bomb. She had no problem acting out when she reached her breaking point. "I'm doing my best not to be angry with you, Shane, but I want your side before I decide how I'm feeling."

Shane sighed. "I went to Dad's office to get the OV invoices and she was there," he started. "She was practically in her underwear. I tried to ignore her, Noa, but she was persistent."

"Why didn't you push her off?"

"I didn't want a complaint. I'd probably be forced to resign, and with no witnesses, they're going to believe her word over mine if she wanted to make trouble. It would become a huge nightmare. She's vindictive, Rinoa – you know that!"

"Why are you getting defensive with me?" she fired back. "I think it's a fair question to ask why you didn't do more to get the fucking slut off of you."

"You're acting like I asked for this to happen," he told her, his voice becoming angry. "Noa, we've been married for four years. We've been together for almost six. If I wanted to cheat on you, I would have done it already!"

"Oh, thank you, Shane. That's wonderful," Rinoa told him. He had stepped in it big time, and he knew it.

"Rinoa, you know goddamn well I'd never jeopardize what we have. Don't get angry with me, Noa. This is what they want!" Rinoa sighed.

"You're right." She took a deep breath. "I just can't believe how brazen the little bitch is, to try and go down on you in your father's office. I guess I should be thanking God that Ashley was there. I really can't help to think how you would have fought back otherwise."

"That's nice, Rinoa, very fucking nice," he snapped. "Fuck, I knew this was going to happen."

"Well, what did you think was going to happen, Einstein? Did you think I was going to say, 'Oh, my poor baby! How awful it must have been'? Fuck no! It wasn't like she hit you with a car, she tried to blow you! Shoving her would have been fine and perfectly acceptable under the circumstances. You don't expect me to be angry at you? Did you want it? Would you have let her go that far?"

"Of course not," Shane insisted. "I was pushing her away the entire time! Jesus Christ, I just about fell over Dad's desk trying to get away from her!"

"Shane, I'm sorry, but I'm too fucking tired for this. We can deal with this when you get home." Shane nodded; he was exhausted, too. He knew there was going to be one hell of a blow-up between the two of them when he got home. He opened his mouth to tell her that he loved her, but she had hung up on him. He blinked. She had never been so angry as to hang up without a "goodbye" at the very least. He hung up the phone. _Yep, she's pissed_, he thought to himself as he lay back on the bed. He cupped his hands over his face. "Fucking Candice."

* * *

Rinoa was tossing and turning alone in her bed, watching the clocks on both nightstands tick the night away. She exhaled, frustrated. Aaron was sound asleep in his bedroom. Rinoa was pretty sure she wasn't going to get a wink of sleep. She was too riled up, too angry after her phone call with Shane.

When Ashley had called her, she had slipped into a state of denial; the idea that a woman could be so brazen and stupid to attempt such a thing didn't register with her at first. But she knew it was true because she knew Candice, Victoria and Torrie had been planning something. As the hours passed without Shane calling to give his side of the story, Rinoa found herself becoming hurt and angry. Why did Ashley have to be the first person to call? Why did he wait until almost two o'clock in the morning before calling her?

She wondered if she was being too hard on her husband, but she didn't know. They had been married for four years, and as far as she knew there were no mistresses lurking in the dark. She knew that she shouldn't be paranoid, but she wondered what would have happened if Candice had succeeded. There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she saw a shallow life where Candice greeted her with a smile and a dark secret in her eyes. The thought that Shane could become like his father made Rinoa want to vomit.

At around three-thirty, she heard Aaron wailing on the baby monitor. She sighed. There was going to be no rest for her. Pulling back the blankets, she got out of bed and went to tend to her son.


	15. Be Careful What You Wish For

"Jesus Christ, Shane-O, you look like shit. What's the matter?"

Shane turned to Chris Jericho, who was standing with John Cena. The two of them were set to compete at _SummerSlam _for John's WWE Championship. They were staring at their friend, who looked as though he hadn't slept in a month, even though it had only been a week since they had seen him. Shane shook his head. "I'm far from okay. You would not believe the fucking week I've had, you guys. There are no words."

"Does it have to do with Candice and Rinoa?" Chris asked. Shane nodded. He knew that Rinoa had vented about the entire situation to Chris, right down to the giant fight they had when Shane got home. Their argument had been so brutal that she packed up her things and left with Aaron. She spent the last week at Stephanie and Hunter's, refusing to see him or take his phone calls. Word had spread quickly backstage. Eyes were on him now, whispers were following him. He was angry. It was hard enough not having Rinoa on the road, but the week without her at home was killing him. He never wanted to remember what life was like before she had come into it. He couldn't live without her, and he wouldn't if he had a choice. At the moment, though, he was wondering if Rinoa was thinking about pulling the plug. She had accused him of being just like Vince. It was hard to convince her otherwise. She wasn't around him most of the time. Rinoa had trusted him unconditionally, but Candice had shaken that trust.

"What do you think?" Shane snorted, scratching the back of his neck. "In all the years I've known Rinoa, I've never seen her so pissed off. If she could have gotten away with killing me, she would have. She packed up her shit and took Aaron over to Steph's. I haven't heard from her in a week. Stephanie won't even let me talk to her." Chris and John could tell the entire situation was wearing him down; his appearance had become increasingly more disheveled as the week wore on, as opposed to his normally dapper style. Stephanie had taken Rinoa's side unequivocally, and she was being overprotective of her sister-in-law. Shane felt alone. "Steph says she's been crying all week. She thinks I'm hooking up with Candice." Their faces dropped in sympathy. "I have no idea what I'm going to do here, you guys. I really think she's mad enough to leave me."

"Get the fuck out of here with that bullshit," Chris snorted with a roll of his blue eyes. "If Rinoa hasn't left you by now, I doubt she will. Anyways, it's not like Candice actually blew you. Rinoa will get that pretty quick."

"I'm with Chris. Noa's just pissed," John told him. "And we can't blame her. Any woman would be pissed off to hear some woman tried what Candice did on their guy. We can't give you any other advice other than to just wait it out. Rinoa's not totally unreasonable; she just needs to process her thoughts." Shane nodded, but John and Chris knew that Shane was impatient. They didn't think he could go much longer with Rinoa angry at him.

* * *

"Candice, Victoria, Torrie, can you please come down to the ring? Please."

Ashley Massaro stood in the middle of the ring. She was still angry about being humiliated by the trio for the past few weeks since winning the Diva Search. She meant business. Tonight there would be hell to pay for the three of them. She had an ace up her sleeve. She lowered the microphone and waited, pondering whether or not they would grant her wish and come down to the ring.

Finally, Torrie's music began to play and the three of them made their way out onto the stage, taunting Ashley the way a high school clique would target an outcast. They walked down the ramp, the entire time trash-talking and taunting Ashley. The Diva Search winner rolled her eyes as she watched them do their in-ring routine. Candice motioned for Victoria to get her a microphone.

"Isn't this cute, you guys?" Candice asked. The cheerful tone in her voice was very put-on and fake. "Ashley wants some more of what Vicky gave her last week. You really aren't too bright, are you?"

"Actually, I came to let you three know that I'm evening the odds," Ashley announced. There was determination and grit in her voice. The women looked amongst themselves, Candice laughing as if Ashley had just told her the funniest joke in the world. "I know the three of you think you're going to run things in the Divas division, but I'm here to let you know that it's not going to happen."

"Oh, really?" Torrie mocked, taking the microphone from Candice. "You think you're going to stop us? You and what little army, Ashley? Huh?" She turned to Victoria. "I think we need to teach her another lesson, girls. I don't think she quite got it last week." The girls moved to advance on Ashley, who instinctively took a step backwards.

The lights went down. The familiar girlish giggle echoed through the arena. The crowd lit up and the lights came up. Candice, Victoria and Torrie turned to see Trish Stratus burst through the curtain, bolting down to the ring without showboating for the fans. She slid into the ring and Victoria charged. Trish ducked it, hitting Victoria with the Chick Kick when she turned around. Ashley had attacked Torrie. Victoria and Torrie escaped the ring, but Trish and Ashley kept a firm grasp on Candice, who struggled in their grasp. Never breaking her hold on Candice, Ashley leaned down and picked up the microphone.

"We have a surprise for you, _Candy_," Ashley taunted. She was winded. "We have one hell of a surprise for her, don't we, Trish?" Trish nodded, a sick smile twisting at her beautiful features. "Should we give it to her now?" Trish nodded. She encouraged the crowd. They applauded and screamed loudly. "You want to play with us, Candice? We'll play."

The arena went black. The red and purpled lights began to weave through the crowd like circus lights. The audience ignited, the ovation almost deafening in Trish and Ashley's ears.

"_Forfeit the game before somebody else takes you outta the frame, and puts your name to shame – cover up your face. You can't run the race the pace is too fast, you just won't last_."

The lights came up and Rinoa sprinted through the curtain. Candice struggled, but Ashley and Trish kept their grip firm on her. She slid into the ring as though she were Edge, on her feet in a flash and taking Candice down to the ground, slapping and slamming her head into the canvas. Trish and Ashley stood over the two of them, watching with their eyes wide. Rinoa was unleashing brutality on Candice's face, scratching and clawing and gouging. The house lights came up.

Outside the ring, Torrie and Victoria made their way to their feet. They grabbed Candice's ankle and pulled her out of harm's way. Rinoa stumbled and fell. She got up and went to charge, but this time Trish and Ashley held her back. It was a challenge; Rinoa was flying as she struggled. Candice, far enough away and knowing Trish and Ashley had their hands on Rinoa, turned and blew Rinoa a kiss. Rinoa practically went over the top rope while Trish and Ashley struggled to hold onto her.

"Get back here, you fucking bitch!" Rinoa screamed over her music. "I will kill you with my bare hands, you scum-sucking slut!" Candice was holding her jaw. Torrie and Victoria were glaring at Trish and Ashley, who were too busy trying to hold onto Rinoa, who was so infuriated that she didn't even notice the crowd was happy to have her back.

* * *

Backstage, Candice, Torrie and Victoria were attempting to get out of the arena before Rinoa made her way backstage. Candice's face was red with scratch marks. She was holding her face, semi in tears over the beating she had just received. Torrie and Victoria were screaming in frustration. "That stupid bitch has lost her fucking mind!" Victoria shouted. They were rushing towards an awaiting limousine in the underground parking lot of the arena. Christy, Maria and Stephanie were leaned against the wall, arms crossed over their chests, grinning at the girls' misfortune.

"Get back here, you little bitch!"

Candice's eyes widened in terror; she turned in time to see Rinoa charge, only to be held back by Maria, Christy and Stephanie. She released a cry as the trio bolted through the doors that would lead down to the underground parking lot. The door closed behind them and Rinoa shrieked.

"Let me go!" she snapped, struggling to get out of their grasp as Ashley and Trish finally caught up with the hot-tempered Diva. "Her talentless ass is mine!" she screamed. She rushed to the door and flung it open, but Stephanie and Trish grabbed her. "You fucked with the wrong woman's husband, bitch!" she screamed down the stairwell. She knew they heard her. Stephanie motioned for the girls to hold onto her for a few minutes. She disappeared down the hallway with a light jog.

"Calm down, Noa," Trish soothed. Rinoa continued to struggle. There was nothing they could do to calm her down. She was beyond livid. The last week of her life had been absolutely miserable. She wanted to make Candice Michelle and her cronies suffer.

Stephanie returned, with John Cena and Chris Jericho in tow. The girls put her down and she ran right into the awaiting arms of Chris. He clutched her tightly and she sobbed into his chest. "We're going to take her to Cena's locker room," Chris told them. They nodded. Chris began to lead her away, never breaking his embrace. John followed close behind. The Divas sighed in relief when she was out of earshot and out of view.

"Wow," Maria breathed. She was dressed in a little green dress, her caramel hair down around her face.

"Yeah, we try not to advertise it too much, but Rinoa has one of the worst tempers of anyone I've ever seen," Trish replied. "Sometimes she makes Stephanie's tantrums look like a walk in the park."

"God help Candice when Rinoa gets her hands on her," Christy replied. The others nodded.

* * *

The door closed. Rinoa refused to release her hold on Chris. Months of frustration and weeks of anger had finally come to the surface. She couldn't stop crying. The front of Chris' shirt was getting wet from her tears. "Shh, it's okay, Killer," Chris soothed, rubbing her back. They sat down on the couch together. John sat down as well, shaking his head in shock at the insanity he had just witnessed. Rinoa had unleashed Hell out in the ring, and she wasn't finished yet. He had to fight a smile from cracking his face as he thought about how well she fit in with the McMahon family because of her temper. The three of them sat in an awkward silence, waiting for Rinoa to stop crying. When her tears finally stopped, she pulled away from Chris, wiping the tears from her eyes. She attempted to fix the running eyeliner she wore.

"Remind me never to piss you off," John cracked. Rinoa laughed, shaking her head and putting her head in her hands. The familiar red-hot burn of embarrassment flared up in her face.

"How's that Itch of yours?" Chris teased.

"It's not going to be cured until I beat her uglier," Rinoa informed him. John and Chris exchanged surprised glances at her unusual spell of cattiness, but they understood, given the circumstance.

"Shane is here tonight, Noa. Are you going to go and see him?" Chris asked. She sighed.

"I don't know. I should, but I'm still so angry, Chris."

"Give the guy a break, Noa; he's falling downhill fast without you," John told her. "The guy looks like he hasn't slept in a year." She looked at Chris, surprised when he nodded.

"I've only been gone a week."

"He thinks divorce is on the horizon, Noa, and the idea scares the shit out of him," Chris told her.

"I just needed to cool down…I have no plans of getting divorced. I just…I couldn't stay there. The fight was so brutal. I threw dishes at him. I told him he was like his father. It was so ugly." She shook her head, remembering how Candice had driven such a wedge between the two of them. "I know he didn't ask for this, and I know maybe I'm being a bit unreasonable, but…why did I have to hear it from Ashley first? Why couldn't he have called me? I mean, how the fuck am I supposed to react when I get a phone call saying some Diva is trying to blow my husband in my father-in-law's office?"

"You're allowed to be angry, Noa – nobody is disputing that," John told her. "What we're saying though is that most of your anger at Shane is misguided. He loves you so much, Noa, and you know it. This situation is killing him."

"Where's Aaron?" Chris piped up.

"He's with Stephanie and Michael Hayes," Rinoa told him. She shook her head. "God, it felt so good slamming that little bitch's head into the canvas." She was still shaking with adrenaline. Chris smiled.

"You're back?"

"For now, anyways," Rinoa replied. "I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm going to beat that little bitch within inches of her fucking life." A technician poked his head into the door, surprised to find John in the room as well.

"Chris, John, we need you two for your segment." He disappeared. The guys stood, the two of them hugging Rinoa.

"Take as much time as you need to cool down in here," John told her, hugging her close. "Then go see your husband. He's falling apart, Noa. He needs you." He pulled back. She stared into his eyes, so very blue and sincere. She nodded, which satisfied the two of them.

"Thanks, you guys." The tech reappeared and the two of them left. She sank back down to the couch and clapped a hand over her face.

* * *

Shane was getting himself a coffee. He was on a quick coffee break. It felt like he was slacking. He couldn't concentrate on anything. The time was moving so slowly. It felt like he was moving underwater. He stopped stirring his coffee to try and rub some excess sleep from his eyes before returning to the task at hand. Rinoa was in the arena; he'd seen the brawl with Candice. But he had no idea where she was. He had tracked Stephanie down and spent some time with his son.

Stephanie told her brother to stay optimistic, that Rinoa would come around and everything would be all right. She watched her brother with sympathy. This felt different to Shane. Sure, Rinoa had gotten angry at him plenty of times before over things that he knew were thoughtless and stupid, but it never lasted longer than a few hours. Her anger certainly never lasted a week. He sipped his coffee and grimaced. Nothing tasted right, nothing felt right.

"Jesus. Cena wasn't lying – you look like shit."

Shane looked to his left to see Rinoa getting herself a cup of coffee. "Gerry told me you were here," she explained, tearing some sugar packets open and pouring them into her coffee. Her hair was dishevelled and she was still flushed from her encounter with Candice, but Shane thought she looked beautiful. The fact that she was an ass-kicking firecracker had always made her hotter in Shane's eyes. "You haven't been sleeping much, have you?"

"No," he confessed. "Have you?"

"I think we both know the answer to that," she told him with a sigh, adding some Coffee Mate packages to the cup. She set it down on the table and turned to her husband, touching his face. His eyes were swollen and puffy as though he had cried the entire week. Rinoa knew that wasn't the case, though. It took a lot to make Shane cry. But when he was maxed out and sleep deprived, his eyes took on the red, swollen appearance. He was receptive to her touch, reveling in the feeling of her cool fingertips on his burning eyes. She shook her head.

"God, I'm so sorry, Shane," she breathed. He shook his head.

"No. I'm sorry. I understand. I didn't handle any of this well at all," he admitted. "But just come home, okay? I miss you. I miss Aaron. It's hard enough being away from you as long as I am, but not having you when I'm home…I can't do it. I won't do it." She smiled sadly at him before pressing her lips softly against his. He returned the kiss hungrily, surprising Rinoa with the force of his kiss.

A couple throats cleared behind them. They pulled back. Rinoa's eyes fell on Trish and Ashley. She blushed. She turned back to her husband. "You should go splash some cold water on your face, honey. It'll take the sting out of your eyes." He nodded.

"I'll see you at the hotel tonight?" he asked. She nodded. He looked so pathetic in front of her. It made her heart break into a million pieces. He hugged her. "I love you, Noa."

"I love you, too, Shane-O. Go get your eyes taken care of." He walked away, turning back to look at her a few times. Rinoa felt the familiar burn of tears behind her eyelids, but she ignored them. She turned to the girls.

"Jesus Christ, Noa," Trish breathed. "I haven't seen you that pissed off in a long time."

"What do you girls got for me?" she asked, clapping her hands together.

"We went and spoke to Vin…I mean, Mr. McMahon," Ashley told her. "And next week, it's going to be you and Candice in the ring. Are you going to need us at ringside? You know, for backup?"

"You know I am," Rinoa replied. "No way is she coming alone. Victoria and Torrie are going to be with her like a second and third shadow." Ashley excused herself to go talk to Maria, who was busy making time with John Cena. He was touching her hair and she was giggling. Rinoa bit her lower lip to keep herself from making a comment or giggling. Trish turned to Rinoa and gave her a slap on the arm.

"Welcome back. We missed you."


	16. Unforgiven 2005

**Chapter Sixteen: Unforgiven 2005**

August faded into September, and Aaron began to crawl. With Linda wanting to spend more time with her grandson, Rinoa really had no excuse to not go back to WWE and seek revenge for the havoc Torrie, Victoria and Candice were trying to inflict on her marriage. With Ashley Massaro and Trish Stratus by her side, the odds were finally even, and Rinoa couldn't wait to make some Divas suffer.

Shane was more than happy to have her back in the ring, though Rinoa was a bit depressed that Chris had left the night after _SummerSlam_, fulfilling his contractual obligations before taking off to tour with his band. Matt Hardy had since come back after the entire Lita/Edge saga, and was now seemingly putting the moves on Ashley. The year was flying by so quick that Rinoa could hardly believe that Aaron was already close to a year old, almost ready to take his first steps any day now.

Rinoa sat backstage with Trish and Ashley, going over what their plans were. It was _Unforgiven 2005_, and after over a month of trying to get her hands on Candice Michelle, it had finally come down to the wire. The Day of Reckoning for the GoDaddy Diva. Rinoa was dressed in a pair of black stretchy yoga pants and a black tank top; she was putting her elbow pads on. "Trish should take Victoria," Rinoa told Ashley, "Trish has a huge history with Victoria, and with their level of experience, Trish is the best one for the job."

"You take Torrie, though," Trish informed the 2005 Diva Search winner, fluffing her thick blonde hair. "She's been here long enough, but is still very much a beginner in the ring. Your best shot is with her, because I know Miss Noa here will not let any of us near Candice Michelle."

"You're right about that," Rinoa told her with a wink. It felt so strange for her to be back in the locker room, with the girls, doing the routine that she had been so used to for so long. She turned her green eyes to Ashley. "Trish knows me so well."

"We're practically sisters," Trish told Ashley, readjusting her arm band.

"I remember a time when you weren't a six time Women's Champion," Rinoa snickered, lacing up her boots. Trish laughed.

"When I didn't know a wrist watch from a wrist lock?"

"Pretty much." The three of them stood together in the mirror, surveying their in-ring outfits; Rinoa's ridiculously casual to Trish's custom to Ashley's punk. "Are we ready?" Rinoa asked.

"Yes!" the other two announced. Slapping hands with one another, they left the locker room, moving towards the Gorilla Position.

To say Candice Michelle feared Rinoa McMahon would be something of an understatement. Her ploy for some political leverage backstage had failed, and now she had an angry woman on her hands. She slid through Torrie Wilson's legs and slid up her seductively, making her way over to the side of the ring where Victoria stood. Untying the strap on her robe, she flung it open wildly before turning into a soft kiss from WWE's Vicious Vixen. When the music faded, they turned towards the TitanTron and waited for the inevitable entrance of Rinoa and her friends.

The lights went out and the fans began to scream; the pop was so loud Candice could hardly hear herself think. The lights began to swirl and she rolled her eyes.

"_Forfeit the game before somebody else takes you outta the frame, put your name to shame, cover up your face. You can't run the race, the pace is too fast - it just won't last_."

The lights blinked, red and purple. Ashley and Trish were the first ones through the black curtain, Trish's arm high in the air with the number one, while Ashley had her fist in the air. A second later, Rinoa stepped through the curtain, taking her place in the middle for a split second before she stalked down the ramp, pointing at Candice and trash-talking. Trish and Ashley were practically running trying to keep up with her. They stopped at the bottom of the ramp. Rinoa turned to Trish and Ashley. "I say we slide in there and start busting them up. You with me?"

"Hell yeah!" they shouted. They both slid into the ring, tackling each of the member's of Vince's Devils. Ashley was levelling fist after fist onto Torrie Wilson's face, while Trish hit a double leg takedown and started hitting her with forearms. Candice had managed to scurry out of the ring right away, sensing the impending attack. Rinoa slid out of the ring and began to chase her in circles until the referee intercepted her, telling her to get up on the ring apron. Kicking the steps in anger, Rinoa moved to her side while the referee was busy breaking up the rest of the four in the ring. The match was set to begin with Ashley and Victoria.

Ashley had barely any experience in the ring, but she was improving by leaps and bounds, desperate to hang in there with the best and beat the best. Victoria whipped her into the corner and charged. Ashley, thinking quickly, brought herself up and over, landing in a somersault before making it to her feet and levelling Victoria with a clothesline. Victoria made it up and she hit a few more clotheslines before hitting a hurracanrana for a one count. Torrie went to step into the ring, but Trish moved first, leaving Torrie standing behind the ropes. Rinoa and Candice were locked in silent stare down, the fear evident in Candice's eyes. Every nerve in Rinoa twitched; she was longing to feel Candice's hair between her fingers as she slammed her head to the mat.

It wasn't long before Victoria had Ashley's number, locking her in various submissions. To the young rookie's credit, she refused to tap out. Victoria tagged in Candice Michelle. Ashley tried to make it to Trish and Rinoa, but Candice stopped her, all the while gloating at a seething Rinoa, who was practically climbing the ropes, tag rope in hand, hand outstretched, shouting for Ashley.

"Come on!" she shouted. "Candice, your ass is mine!"

Candice stared her straight in the eye, smiled, and slapped Ashley across the face. Rinoa seethed, jumping up and down. Trish knew better than to calm her down. When Ashley was down for a moment, Candice rushed over to Rinoa to strike her. Rinoa jumped down and back as quick as she could, but not before taking a shot to the side of the face. Rinoa went to storm the ring, but the referee and Trish were on her in seconds, allowing Victoria and Torrie to step in and help.

"Get your head back in the game, ref - they're triple teaming her!" Rinoa shouted. The referee turned as the others made it back on the other side. Candice slammed Ashley's face down into the canvas. Rinoa was practically outside of herself, screaming, itching and snapping for a tag.

Ashley finally managed to hit a few elbows, staggering Candice. The GoDaddy Diva responded by slamming her head into the canvas again. Ashley's lip split. Trish and Rinoa were both leaned over, hands out, calling out to Ashley to tag them.

Ashley tried to kick back, but Candice grabbed her foot. Thinking quickly, Ashley hit a desperation enzuigiri, knocking them both down. They both began to crawl to their partners. Trish and Rinoa were stretched over as far as they could possibly go. Finally, Ashley's hand collided with Trish's and Candice's collided with Torrie's. Trish was inside the ring in a flash, hitting the Air Canada on Torrie, levelling her with punch after punch after punch. Victoria tried to intervene, but Trish kicked her in the stomach and hit her with the whirly bird hurracanrana that she was becoming known for. Candice tried to intervene, and enough was enough for Rinoa, who was so fast she was practically a blur on camera, hitting her with a double leg takedown and slamming her head into the canvas over and over and over again. The crowd popped loud for it as the referee tried to break them up. Rinoa's grip on Candice's hair was so tight that she was practically dragging Candice back into the corner with her. Thinking quick, Ashley distracted the referee by trying to get into the ring as well, allowing Rinoa to throw Candice into the turnbuckle and levelling kick after kick to her stomach before grabbing her by the hair and throwing her across the ring. With more admonishment from the referee, Rinoa stood outside the ring. Ashley leaned over to her.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side," she told her. Rinoa laughed. Torrie and Candice both charged Trish, who managed to hit a double takeover maneuver on both of them. Victoria climbed onto the turnbuckle to try and hit an aerial attack, but Trish ran forward and hit her with the Stratusphere. Victoria crawled quickly over to the corner and tagged Candice Michelle. Trish walked towards Rinoa and tagged her.

Candice tried to turn back to tag one of her partners, but Rinoa had already hit her with a hair biel across the ring before she could do anything. She turned to Torrie and Victoria, daring them with her eyes to step into the ring. Nobody was willing to do it. There was no honor among thieves and Rinoa knew it.

The end came swift for Candice Michelle, who took a resounding Impaler DDT for the three count. When the match was over and the music began to play, Rinoa grabbed Candice and launched her over the top rope, onto the departing Torrie and Victoria. Trish, Ashley and Rinoa laughed at the Terrible Trio laid out on the floor outside the ring as they held up each other's hands in victory.

Shane was waiting for Rinoa when she made her way backstage after the match. Her adrenaline was coursing through her veins; she had forgotten just how overwhelming it was to be outside the ring. Aaron was in his arms. The second he saw his mother, he started reaching out for her. She took him.

"Don't think I was rough enough on her out there," she mused. "Stupid match restrictions." Trish and Ashley were behind her in seconds, cooing and cawing over the child, who already had inherited his father's brown eyes and his mother's light brown hair. "Thanks for the distraction there, Ash."

"No problem," she answered. "You needed it."

"So what is the game plan for tonight," Shane asked. "Did you want to have a girls night with Trish and Ashley?" Rinoa stared at him in surprise.

"I figured that you wanted to spend some time with the guys."

"Oh, yeah, I'm totally going to. Stephanie wants to baby sit since she and Hunter are trying for a baby. She wants the practice."

"Sure. Sounds good." She turned her attention to Aaron. "You want to spend the night with Auntie Stephanie?" He gargled in approval. Stephanie and Vince were two of his favorite people. She handed Aaron back to Shane. "Let Stephanie know I'll pick him up at about one." He nodded; they wouldn't be out of the arena until at least eleven-thirty anyway. She turned her attention back to Trish and Ashley. "Girls' Night!" They hollered in approval. Rinoa smiled; these were the moments that she missed; that, and being inside the ring. She knew she was far from over with her career; it was worse than a drug to her, left her craving the adrenaline rush. Ashley slung her arm over Rinoa's shoulders, leading her and Trish down the hallway to get ready for a night out.


	17. Precious Moments

**Chapter Twelve: Surprise!**

Rinoa's eyes could barely focus; everything was a blur. Shane knocked on the door. "Rinoa - he's almost to his locker room. We should hurry now." Nodding, she smoothed her hair and exited the room, moving beside Shane. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," she murmured. They entered Eddie Guerrero's locker room. It was _No Mercy 2005_, and Eddie Guerrero's thirty-eighth birthday. He had just lost his match against Batista for the WWE Championship. Inside his locker room sat Eddie's wife, Vickie, his nephew Chavo, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, Stephanie - who was holding Aaron in her arms, MNM, Rey and Christy Hemme. An enormous Devil's Food cake rested on top of a white draped table; Vickie had already lit the thirty eight candles.

Eddie entered the room mere minutes after she and Shane entered, still sweat-covered after his match. The room broke into a round of "Happy Birthday" to him. He laughed, his eyes shining with pride. He looked at Vickie. "_Mamacita_," he purred, "Was this your idea?"

"About a quarter of it - the other three was Rinoa and Shane," she admitted. Eddie turned to Rinoa and hugged her tightly. She laughed.

"Thank you, Noa."

"What kind of friend would I be if we ignored your birthday? We have some presents for you too."

"You guys didn't…"

"We did," Rinoa confessed. "I also have a bit of a surprise for everyone, too, but Dave and Dad need to get in here first. Chris, did you want to give him your present first?"

"Sure," he said, a sick smile plastered on his features. Rinoa wondered just what kind of a prank gift he got Eddie. The two of them had a very special relationship that often left Rinoa baffled. At times Rinoa thought Chris was just downright cruel, sadistic even, but Eddie always took him so lightly. Her head turned as Dave Batista and Vince McMahon entered the room.

"Happy birthday, Eddie!" Vince boomed, giving him a hug. It was no secret that Vince was always proud of Eddie overcoming his past addictions. He slapped Eddie on the back. "That cake sure looks good, don't it?"

"Sure does," he said.

"It better - you wouldn't believe long it took me to get that ready." Eddie stared at her.

"You made this?"

"I did."

"Wow. I can't wait to try it."

"You made this?" Melina asked, standing to her feet to examine it. Rinoa nodded. "You really are Super Mom, aren't you?"

"I try. That brings me to my new news." Rinoa turned to everyone else. "I just found out not five minutes ago, but…Aaron's going to be a big brother."

Eddie's eyes widened. Shane's and Vince's eyes widened even bigger than Rinoa thought possible. Vickie, Christy and Melina all converged on her, hugging her. "Congratulations!" Everyone cheered. Rinoa turned to Melina.

"Would you like to cut the cake?"

"Sure thing," she replied. She moved around the table, careful not to trip in her fuzzy boots and began to serve the cake. Eddie stared at her.

"That's the best birthday present I could ever hope for," Eddie replied, looking between Shane and Rinoa. "You two deserve nothing but the best." Eddie motioned for Stephanie to hand Aaron to him, which she did. He bounced Aaron up and down in his arms. Aaron had his finger in his mouth. "You hear that, Aaron? You're going to have a sibling?" He turned his wide eyes on Rinoa, who smiled at her thirteen-month old son. "He's getting so big."

"Yes, he is. He sure has his father's eyes, doesn't he?"

"Birthday boy gets the cake first!" Melina announced firmly, handing Eddie a plate. Vince took Aaron while Eddie took his piece. Christy Hemme turned on her radio to some rock station and everybody sat back, congratulating Rinoa for her new baby news and wishing Eddie a happy birthday. The gifts were all sweet, sentimental; Rinoa gave Eddie a photograph of the two of them with Chris Jericho and Benoit from the old days, blown up in a custom frame with the date and the year engraved. Eddie's eyes had almost teared over as he remembered the stories they had in Germany, even telling a few of them, putting the entire room in fits of laughter. A huge part of Rinoa wished that she could go back to those days with them. She would never forget the early days; broke, in a country where she couldn't speak the language, with no friends or family. Rinoa would always remember how Chris, Eddie, Chris, Dean and Chavo had taken her under their wing and had made her feel at home when she was so far away from it. She wondered when life had gotten in their way. When they had aged. Sure, she wasn't that old, but Chris, Eddie, Chavo and Dean were all climbing in years. All contemplating retirement or retired. It was inevitable; she couldn't fault them for being rundown and tired from the backbreaking stunts they had pulled over the years, the buckets of blood they had poured on different continents. She had done it, too; had enough of the scars. Shane put his arm around her and she watched Eddie with his wife. He couldn't do this forever, and she knew it; Vickie was one of the most patient, loving, supportive wrestler's wife she had ever met. And she hoped that when the day came where Eddie couldn't get out of bed, she'd help him pull the plug.

"You okay?" Shane asked, She nodded.

"Why?"

"I don't know - your face kind of clouded over." She forced a smile on her face despite her depressing thoughts.

"Everything's fine," she answered. "Just thinking about everything that happened today. It's sure been eventful."

"Yeah. That it has. Should we head out?"

"I wouldn't mind spending some more time with Eddie, but we should get Aaron in bed. These late nights we give him can't be good for him." Shane nodded.

"I'll take him back."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Positive. Have fun, and I'll see you when you get home." He took Aaron from Stephanie and bid everybody farewell.

At the end of the night it was just Rinoa and Eddie seated in his locker room, leaned back against their chairs. Plates were disposed of by Melina before her and Johnny Nitro had called it in. Eddie stared over at Rinoa.

"What are you hoping for?"

"I wouldn't mind a girl this time."

"I hope she's as beautiful as her mother."

"You flatter me too much, Eddie." He laughed.

"Do you remember the time that Chris Jericho got into that backstage fight with Goldberg in WCW?"

Rinoa laughed. "Everyone had such a hard time believing that Chris even managed to get a shot off in on Goldberg, let alone get the better of him."

"He was something else, that guy. Sure didn't seem to like you."

"He thought I was holding him back. From what, I'm not sure. It's not like women had power in WCW."

"It's not like you women had a division," he answered. He sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Eric Bischoff did not know what he lost when he lost you, Rinoa. It was brave of you to stick around as long as you did, knowing full well we'd see to it you got here."

"I think we all learn from our mistakes," she answered. She was silent for a few minutes; contemplative. "When did everything pass us by? I feel like I just woke up one morning with a husband and kids and a part-time dream career." Eddie laughed.

"I know the feeling. It sure flies by, doesn't it?" She nodded. "I wouldn't trade in the life I have, fast, slow or otherwise. God always had this life planned for us, Rinoa; we're a different, stronger breed, just like any athlete. We sacrifice our lives, our marriages, our children, our sanity so that we can see the world and keep our families supported. Despite the bitching and whining and nagging we may do, you and I and the two Chris' know full well that we've been blessed." He draped his arm around her shoulder and dragged her close, giving her a hug. "We were all very fortunate to meet, Rinoa," he informed her. "We're like brothers and sisters. We're a family away from our family." She nodded.

"You know I appreciate everything you guys have done for me, right?"

"Of course. You're a special breed of Diva, Noa. Like Mick Foley met Miss Elizabeth." She laughed, her eyes drifting to the clock.

"We should get going, Eddie. It's one - you need to get home to your family and I need to get home to mine." She stood to her feet and gave Eddie a hug. "I will see you in a few weeks. Worst case scenario, we'll have to go out for dinner at _Survivor Series_."

"Sounds like a great plan."

"I'll see you later, Eddie." She let herself out of the locker room, happy to go home and get some sleep. The day had been chaotic, the year had been chaotic, and she was just looking forward to going home and getting some sleep. _Survivor Series _was going to be enough to rob her of her energy within the coming weeks anyway.


	18. Happy Halloween

I know it's short. Apologies. Next chapter will be longer. Just needed a filler. Also, I am working on some more of Just Like Music and brainstorming for more updates on Darkest Hour. Thanks for being patient with my absence, guys. You all truly reek of awesomeness.

**Chapter Eighteen: Happy Halloween**

"Happy Halloween!"

"You made it!"

Randy Orton and Samantha, dressed up as Alice and the Mad Hatter, entered the house for Shane and Rinoa's Halloween party. Shane was dressed up as Death, as Rinoa had spent the entire day paling his skin with makeup. Rinoa had opted to dress up like a gothic faerie, with enormous black wings that made it almost impossible for her to get through doors. Aaron was dressed up as a bumble bee.

Trish Stratus had already arrived, dressed up as Wonder Woman, a black wig attached firmly to her. A lasso was wrapped up and attached to her right hip. Chris Jericho had managed to arrive, dressed up as a rock star. Rinoa was pleased he was able to get some time off and fly out. Stephanie and Hunter had also arrived not too long ago, with Hunter and Stephanie dressed up as a vampire couple. The kitchen table and the coffee table were jam packed with food and drinks. Trish sipped on some sparkling grape juice with Rinoa, who wasn't allowed to drink whatsoever. Stephanie handed Samantha some spiked punch.

"So how about that Mickie James?" Randy inquired. "You sure got your hands full, don't you, Trish?"

"So far she's just a fan," Trish said, but Rinoa could tell that Trish was worried about it becoming a case of a full-blown stalker.

"Cute cardboard belt she had," Stephanie commented. Rinoa nodded, remembering the days she used to make those. Lately, she had been in deep, self-reflective mode. She wondered if it was some weird byproduct of her pregnancy. She turned her attention to Randy.

"So how was the flight?"

"It was all right. More turbulent landing than usual, but the weather is getting pretty lousy now," Samantha replied. "Thank God for Randy. He keeps me from going insane on flights."

"It can be pretty daunting," Rinoa agreed. "I remember my first time on a plane; I totally spazzed and had a panic attack. As time goes on, it gets easier."

"You should try flying in Iraq, where it's a doorless chopper," Randy told her. Her face contorted in a mixture of fear and disturbance.

Shane turned on some music and Aaron played with some stuffed animals on the floor with Auntie Trish on the floor. Rinoa retreated into the kitchen to prepare some spinach dip and sourdough bread. Samantha followed.

"So, how have you been feeling?"

"Fine. The morning sickness hasn't kicked in yet."

"Are you excited?"

"Of course. It's always a great experience when the morning sickness finally disappears." She shook her head, pulling off the wrapper for the spinach dip. "Don't know why they call it morning sickness; you're sick morning, noon and night." She looked at the demure brunette. "Are you and Randy talking about kids?"

"Yeah. He wants a decent size family."

"Shane and I are capping it off at two," Rinoa answered. "Two is a handful, but not too big of a handful that we can't handle it if one of us has business to attend to."

"It must be such a taxing job; to be a businesswoman, athlete and mother all rolled into one." Rinoa thought about it.

"Sure it is. And I'd be lying if I didn't say I had my regrets about things over the last year. But parenting truly is a trial and error process. You learn from the first one and you pick things up along the way."

"I worry about being a bad mother, but Randy seems to think I'm built for it."

"If you can handle Randy at home, you're more than ready to take care of kids." Samantha laughed with Rinoa.

"That's what he tells me."

"At least he's honest." Rinoa picked up the platter and walked out into the living room.

Later on, when Trish, Randy and Samantha were all settled in the guest room and on the couch, and Aaron had been put to bed, Rinoa climbed into bed, happy that the day was over. With Aaron sleeping through the night, Rinoa was thankful to catch up on whatever sleep she could pick up. She was starting to feel fresh, rejuvenated. Shane was waiting for her.

"Did you have a good night?" Shane asked. She nodded.

"It's always nice when everyone is here," Rinoa said. "Sometimes I feel so lonely being off the road and away from everyone." Shane draped his arm around her and clutched her tightly against him.

"You should come out for _Survivor Series_," Shane told her. "Come out as much as you can before you get too pregnant to travel."

She thought about it. "I feel like I pawn Aaron off too much on everyone, though."

"Not really. Maybe once or twice a month."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay. I think I can live with that." He kissed the side of her head. "Get some rest."


	19. Grief

**Chapter Nineteen: Grief**

The call came early to the hotel room, where Rinoa was sleeping peacefully. She was set to make a guest appearance on _Raw_, doing an interview to promote some movie she had produced for WWE Studios. Shane answered the phone before it went to the voicemail inbox, curious as to who could be calling in a single digit hour. "Hello?" Rinoa stirred. "Chavo? What's up?" Rinoa sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Shane listened intently as Rinoa went to the bathroom.

When she came out, she sat down beside Shane, whose face looked as though it were ready to crumble. She stared at him intently, wondering what Chavo was telling him that was so upsetting. He nodded. "I'll let her know." He hung up the phone, still shocked at what he had just heard. As though he just remembered she was there, he turned to Rinoa.

"Noa, I have some really, really bad news," Shane told her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Noa…I don't know how to say this…" His voice began to crumble. "Noa…Eddie's gone."

"Where?" It never occurred to her for a second what Shane was trying to tell her. The tears in his eyes spilled over. He shook his head.

"Noa…Eddie's dead." He studied her for a second. She scoffed.

"No." She shook her head vehemently.

"Chavo, Benoit and Rey are at the hotel right now. Chavo found him not too long ago. He missed his wakeup call…Noa…"

"No…" The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. _"No!"_ Shane went to comfort her, but she pushed him away. The tears began to flow, her body began to rack with sobs. Knowing full well she had to keep it together, Rinoa put up a fight to keep herself from completely breaking down. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down as best she could. "Shane, go down to Stephanie's room. I need to make a phone call."

"Noa…"

"Please. Just give me this." Shane nodded, standing to his feet. He kissed her forehead and left the room. When she was sure Shane was long gone, she shifted over and picked up the phone, preparing herself for the hardest phone call she was ever going to make.

Chris Jericho was preparing to leave for the airport in Berlin when the phone rang. He answered the phone. "Chris here."

"Chris…has anybody phoned you?"

"No. What's up?"

"Chris…" The tears began to flow again and this time she completely broke down. "Chris - Eddie's dead."

"Get out of here."

"Chris, I'm serious. Chavo just phoned. He missed his wakeup call…Chris…what are we going to do?" He was silent for a few minutes before he finally spoke again.

"Jesus - you're really serious, aren't you?"

"What are we going to do, Chris?" He sighed.

"First thing's first, Noa - you're in your first trimester. You're going to need to stay calm. The last thing we need is you suffering a miscarriage. Can you be strong for me?" Rinoa nodded. "Can you?"

"I think so."

"Good. I'm on my way to the airport now; I should be back home later tonight. I'll call you then at this number?" She nodded. "Does Vickie know?"

"I don't know who knows, or who doesn't, Chris…what are we going to do?"

"Just stay calm. I'm going to drive out to you when you get home, all right? Just stay calm. Love you, sister dear."

"Love you, too, Chris."

"Be strong. We all need you." She nodded, they said their farewells and hung up. There was a knock on the door. Rinoa grabbed some Kleenex and blew her nose as she approached the door. On the other side was Randy Orton, who immediately scooped her up into his arms for a hug.

"I just heard, Noa…God…so senseless…" he breathed. She hugged him tightly. "Shane and Vince and Steph had to take care of a few things and set up an impromptu press conference, so Shane sent me up here to stay with you until everything was ready for _Raw._"

"How could this happen, Randy? He had a family," she cried, burrowing her head into his black T-shirt. He stroked her hair.

"I wish I had the answers for you, Noa. How I wish I had the answers for everyone else." There was another knock on the door. Randy went to open it. On the other side was Dave Batista, his eyes wet and swollen. He went immediately to Rinoa and hugged her.

"I'm sorry, Rinoa," he sobbed. "I just heard. I know you guys were close. I'm so sorry."

She looked to Randy. "Can you place some phone calls? I really don't think Benoit should be left alone today." Randy nodded and rushed over to the phone to place a few calls around to assign some people to Chris Benoit. There was another knock on the door and Trish Stratus came in with Lita and Melina close behind. Before Rinoa knew it, on top of the five that had already joined her, Christy, Nitro, Coachman, Lilian Garcia and John Cena were joining her, all of them offering words of encouragement that were genuinely sincere, yet felt so hollow.

When everyone was seated in every possible place, there was a knock on the door again. Rinoa stood and answered it to find the Undertaker standing on the other side. "I'm sorry, Killer," he told her, hugging her. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about everybody else. Does anybody know if Vickie's been notified?"

"Just got a text from Jericho," Cena replied, "And yeah; Vickie's been informed. Said they sent Eddie's sister to tell her."

"I need to call her. Would you like me to put it on speaker phone?" Everybody in the room nodded while Rinoa made another difficult call. This was the first time that death had struck its calloused hand so closely to her in professional wrestling. Unfortunately for her, there would be many more to follow.

Rinoa stood front and center between Chris Benoit and Chavo Guerrero when _Raw _went on the air. The tears hadn't quit flowing since she had heard the news. Eddie's car with the Virgin Mary airbrushed on the hood was on a platform several feet to her left.

Chris Benoit was an emotional wreck; his skin red, eyes puffed and contorted. A huge part of her wondered why Vince didn't send him home to be with his wife and son. He was in no condition to be there. Chavo was a silent pillar of strength, though he shed his tears. She was in awe of him.

Rinoa sobbed harder with each ring of the ten bell salute that Vince was giving to Eddie, a sound that sent goose pimples up her spine. Shane was behind her in the crowd, holding onto her shoulder, worrying about the amount of stress that was being inflicted upon her. Worried about the unborn baby she was carrying. When the ten bell salute was over and the moment of silence had been observed, everybody filed backstage. The show was set to begin, but all Rinoa could think about was going home. She was in no shape to be there; she wished that Chris would be with her at that very moment. That she had Aaron. That Shane didn't have to run around doing so much during such a chaotic and grief-striking time.

Randy Orton and Trish Stratus only left Rinoa alone to do their matches, returning quickly when they were finished. In her locker room, John Cena, Chavo Guerrero, John Bradshaw Layfield and Mickie James were all seated around, drinking on some beer that Bradshaw had kept in a large cooler in his locker room. Rinoa was sipping on a bottle of water.

"Remember the time you and Eddie almost caused a riot in El Paso, Texas?" Rinoa laughed through her tears.

"And the police had to take us back out to the interstate because everybody was ready to kill you?" Chavo laughed, sipping his beer. Bradshaw laughed.

"I guess the whole waiting on the other side of the border video clip didn't help matters," he laughed. He draped an arm around Rinoa and drew her close, clinking beer can and water bottles together.

"I learned so much from him," Rinoa said, smiling sadly. "I learned so much from Chris."

"Has anyone called Chris?" Chavo asked. "Does he know?" Rinoa nodded.

"I called him this morning. He's on his way home from Berlin."

"Is he going to stop in and see you?" John asked. Rinoa shrugged.

"Doubtful. We'll all probably see each other when we fly out for the service."

"You're going to go to that?" Chavo asked. Rinoa nodded.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you're pregnant…it's not too stressful for you, is it?"

"I'll be fine. I have to do this," she informed them all. Mickie nodded. Rinoa stared down into her water bottle. The tears were slowly dissipating, but her eyes still burned and shimmered with unshed tears. She looked over at Chavo. "We all have your back during all of this, Chavito."

"I appreciate that." He ran a hand over his head. "Man, I don't know what they were thinking letting Chris say something. They should have just sent him home; I've never seen him so devastated."

"I know," Mickie agreed with a nod. "If only there was something we could do."

"All we can do is just let him take his time to grieve," Rinoa replied. "It's going to be a hard road ahead for all of us, but we'll get through this…it just seems impossible to think so right now." Bradshaw and Cena nodded, taking sips of their beer. Chavo leaned back against the locker room wall and began to tell another story of growing up with his beloved uncle.


	20. Goodbye, Old Friend

**Chapter Twenty: Goodbye, Old Friend**

Rinoa stood in front of the gravestone that read Eddie Guerrero's name. The bouquet of colourful roses she had placed at the base rested on the cool marble of the stone. It was so surreal; she still couldn't believe that this had happened.

It had been a whirlwind for Rinoa since she had arrived in Arizona for the funeral; everybody had arrived, from Randy Orton to her good friend Chris Jericho. Chris Benoit had made it out with his wife Nancy and her son Daniel, while Chris had brought his wife, Jessica. Rinoa, Nancy, Jessica, Samantha and Vickie had spent a lot of time together over the week, helping Vickie arrange things, taking care of things that were just too much for Vickie to deal with. Rinoa and Nancy had even made a lot of the food for the wake. It was good in the sense that the girls all kept each other busy, but now, with it all over and Eddie finally laid to rest, all Rinoa could do was stand by as the reality hit her.

Her stomach fluttered. She fought the urge to be sick. Morning sickness had only really started kicking in a few days before, but Rinoa refused to be sick at the cemetery. She bowed her head in silent prayer, asking for God to watch over Eddie, as he had so many times when Eddie had been in trouble.

"Hey."

Rinoa jumped as she turned to face Chris Jericho, who had just cut off all his hair. He was dressed in a nice black suit with a red tie. "Sorry, Noa - didn't mean to startle you. You have been standing here looking vacant for fifteen minutes though. Shane's worried about you." She nodded.

"I'm fine, Chris."

"I know you are. We'll all be fine," he replied. His eyes were red-rimmed from crying. "These things pass with time." Rinoa rushed into his arms, allowing him to hug her tightly for what felt like an eternity.

"What are we going to do, Chris?"

"All we can do is just move forward one day at a time, Noa," he assured her. "You especially need to think about the baby. Do you know what you're having yet?"

Rinoa shook her head. "I find out just before _Survivor Series_."

"That's great. Any names picked out?" Rinoa shook her head.

"No…" She looked down at the flowers on Eddie's gravestone. She shook her head again, as though she were trying to get the cobwebs out. "I'm going to miss him so much, Chris…"

He put a comforting arm around her. "I know, Noa, honey. Me, too. Come on; let's get back to our spouses." She allowed him to lead her away, down the tree-lined pathway, where everybody was either hugging and talking to Vickie and the girls or heading back to their hotels to cool down and sort out their grief. The wake was going to happen later in the evening, with everybody meeting at Herlinda Guerrero's house for dinner.

Vickie and the girls were already being driven away by Chavo and his family when Chris finally returned Rinoa to Shane. He hugged his wife tightly, she clutching him just as tight. Aaron was nestled into his car seat; having attended the funeral since there was no suitable babysitters for him. She turned her attention to her son, wiping some of the excess tears from her eyes.

"Dinner at six," Chris informed them. Shane nodded and gently led his wife by the arm towards her side of the car. When he was sure she was all settled, he closed the door.

Rinoa couldn't make it to dinner that night thanks to a huge bout of morning sickness hitting her like a ton of bricks. She could never figure out why they called it morning sickness when she threw up all day. Although he was reluctant, Rinoa told Shane to go, to represent her. She had already phoned Chavo Guerrero and let him know, and had phoned Vickie, who understood, and was even kind of excited to talk to her about her pregnancy, the one shining glimmer of joy in an otherwise dark situation.

There was a knock on her hotel room door as she finished throwing up. Feeling like death had warmed over, she went to the door and found Randy Orton on the other side. "Why aren't you at dinner?" Rinoa asked.

"I was. Everyone's just staying around and reminiscing right now, so I thought I would come back and check on you, considering I remember just how sick you got when you were pregnant with Aaron. I told Shane not to worry, to just stay behind; he's having fun with Dave and Chavo right now." He held up a shopping bag. "I made a stop on the way too. I thought you and I could party with some ginger ale and soda crackers."

"Oh, aren't we just wild and crazy," she said with a sad smile and a laugh. She stepped aside and let Randy enter the room. He placed everything on the kitchenette and poured themselves two glasses of ginger ale.

"How are you holding up, Noa?"

"I'm doing all right," she answered. "I miss him, but I'll survive."

"We've all been pretty worried about you. The baby, too," he answered, handing her a glass of ginger ale. She sipped it slowly.

"I'm fine, Randy. So far, so good." She stared out the hotel window. "I'm really worried about Benoit. He's in such bad shape…"

"I know. Me, too. Those two were as close to soul mates as humanly possible." Rinoa nodded.

"It all just feels so strange."

"What was it like when you met Eddie?"

"I was in Germany. Eddie was there with Chris Jericho. I think they were fighting each other; they had gotten WCW to send a bunch of us over that way. I ran into Eddie backstage. He said that I reminded him of somebody he knew. We started talking. He kind of became a big brother to me like Chris did while I was away from home. I was eighteen, fresh out of school, away from home for the first time. So lonely. They did so much for me…I mean, I'm from a small town in British Columbia…never really been on vacation. And here I am, in Germany, unable to speak the language."

"I can understand that."

"My mom and dad were always willing to put up Chris and Eddie and Chavo for looking out for me so much. To my parents, they feel as though they are indebted to them. Randy, it almost killed me having to call them and tell them about Eddie's car accident…and then this… He worked so hard to turn it around."

"I know he did, Noa. He suffered a lot. And now, as hard as it is for us to grasp it, he's not suffering anymore. That's what's going to help me sleep tonight." Rinoa smiled.

"Me, too. You know…as best I can for a woman who's throwing up every fifteen minutes." Randy chuckled. "Beats me why they call it morning sickness…I seem to be sick from sunrise to sunset."

"Are you sure you're going to be okay, Noa?"

"Yeah," she replied with a nod. "This is just the first time a death here has reached so close to home. It's kind of…_shaking_, you know?" He nodded. "There was a time a few years ago where I was worried we were going to lose him…but…I just don't get it, Randy. He had a _family_."

"I know, Noa."

"Vickie has just been such a pillar of strength. If I was half as strong as she is, I'd be a better person," she replied with an exhale as she sipped on her ginger ale. Randy offered her a soft smile.

"But you are," he informed her. "Trust me, you've been through a lot here. Your first two years here were a hell of a whirlwind, from what I heard?"

"You mean getting stalked, attacked and married in a two year time frame? Yeah, I'd call that a whirlwind," she replied, shaking her head.

"I know that John and I look at you for inspiration in the strength department," Randy informed her. She shook her head. "It's true. No matter what you go through, you always seem to bounce right back."

"A lot of that is Shane," Rinoa confessed. "If I didn't have him around, I'd be fucked."

"Do you have any names picked out for the little one?" he asked. She sipped on some more ginger ale.

"Not yet. I talked to Shane about this, but would barring that you don't teach him or her how to harass their coworkers…would you like to be the godfather?"

"Of course!" His eyes softened. "Noa, I'd be honoured." Words couldn't describe how touched he felt at her offer. After she put her ginger ale back down on the nightstand, the two of them hugged, a silver lining in their moment of grief.


	21. A Little Dimmer

"How's she holding up, man?"

Shane turned to Dave Batista, who was dressed up in a suit, the World Heavyweight Championship over his shoulder. _Survivor Series _was in six days, taking place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. It had been eight days since Eddie's passing, and the loss was still felt through the backstage area. There was a pall over the entire company, from the technicians to the Superstars. Vince was already talking about putting Eddie Guerrero into the Hall of Fame in time for _WrestleMania 22_.

"She's not holding up very well," Shane confessed. "She's trying to hold it together, but she's shattered."

"Is she coming out for _Survivor Series_?" he asked. Shane shook his head.

"I tried to get her to come out, but she doesn't want to go anywhere. I've never seen her like this before," Shane confessed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't remember her becoming a recluse after Kurt Angle had attacked her. "I wish there was something I could do. She says being there is the best thing for her, but I feel useless just standing there and doing nothing." He sighed. "She says this is the first time death has struck so close to her."

"You're used to it," Dave said. A fourth-generation McMahon, Shane knew the stats. He'd also known most, if not all the Superstars on said list. Andre the Giant had been Uncle Andre. He'd played with some of their children.

"You never really get used to it," Shane told him. "But death is a part of life. It sucks. It sucks really hard. But it's not like you can get the decision reversed, right?"

"Noa will be okay," Dave assured him.

"I know she will. She's resilient. I can't even tell you how tough she is," Shane told him. "I'm just worried about the affect the stress is having on the baby. On top of all the stress and the grieving, she's sick all the time these days. I'm going to come right out and say she's way sicker than she was with Aaron."

"How's Aaron doing?"

"Good. Thank God he's too young to understand what's going on. He's been very quiet lately. Do you think babies can sense this sort of thing?" Dave shrugged. "I know. It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?"

"Kind of," Dave confessed. "Lay off the Kamikazes, McMahon."

"Fuck right off, Dave," Shane laughed.

"Is there anybody staying with her right now?" Dave asked. Shane nodded.

"Her parents came out when they heard the news. They decided Rinoa shouldn't be alone since I'm on the road so much. I'm pretty thankful they're there; I felt really bad about leaving her behind, but she refused to come with me. She just doesn't want to see anybody. Chris has been calling her nightly since the funeral, though."

"Jericho?"

"Yeah," Shane confirmed. "Those two are as thick as thieves."

"That's probably doing her a world of good, having him call her." Dave knew they were a group. Even though she was married to a McMahon, nobody ever accused her of sleeping her way to the top. She was part of a group that was considered the best in the business. Everybody knew she had earned her stripes. "Rey, Chavo, Chris and I are going out after the show for some drinks. Are you going to come out with us?"

"I think that sounds like a plan. I think we could all use a little fun after this week."

"Have you decided who's replacing Eddie on Team SmackDown?"

"Orton," Shane answered. Dave nodded.

"Works for me," he murmured. "Anyway, I need to go and do some promotional stuff before the show starts. I'll meet you in the parking lot after the show."

"Sounds like a plan. See you around, man," Shane said with a nod. Dave disappeared. Shane sighed. Even though he was there, his mind was back at home with Rinoa. He wished she would have come with him.

* * *

Rinoa lay in her bedroom with the blankets up to her chin, sniffling. The TV in her bedroom was playing old home videos she had shot. Eddie, Chris, Rey and Rinoa were being idiots after a show in New Orleans. The guys were all adorned with brightly colored beads, and Chris and Eddie were making all sorts of jokes. Every time Rinoa thought she had to laugh, a fresh spell of tears would escape.

The tears had been flowing for eight straight days. There was no relief; the pain was still too fresh for her to process. Everybody was advising her not to grieve too hard; that the stress could affect her baby, and hearing that over and over again was starting to wear on her last nerve. She needed time, but everybody had advice on how to grieve. Even Chris, the man she saw as her big brother, was driving her crazy. At least Shane had the good sense to say his piece and then keep quiet.

There was a knock on the door, and Catherine Fielder walked into the room with a tray in her hand. She closed the door by kicking it softly. "You need to eat something," Catherine told her daughter. "I made you some tea and some toast, since I know you haven't really been into meals."

With a sigh, Rinoa rolled over and sat up, the blanket falling to her stomach. Catherine put the tray on the nightstand and sat down at the foot of the bed. She looked at the TV. "Your father and I always felt better knowing these guys were looking out for you. It was hard having you so far away all the time."

"I've always heard that it's next to impossible to make friends in this business," Rinoa confessed to her mother. "But I found these guys. They kind of became a surrogate family while I was on the road. We'd all bicker and we'd make up, and we'd rant and rave and play pranks. Eddie and Chris were so bad, but they were so funny." A sad smile crossed her face as more tears spilled. "Mom, this is so unfair."

"Do you know what happened?" Rinoa nodded.

"It was heart disease," she told her mother.

"Heart disease at his age?" Catherine asked, surprised. Rinoa nodded. She picked up the teacup and sipped. "How come you didn't go with Shane?"

"I just need some time to myself," she confessed. "It feels like my heart's been ripped out, Mom. I just keep thinking, _he had a family_, you know? The more I think about Vickie and the kids, and the guys…it wasn't supposed to happen like this. We were all supposed to retire and lead normal lives…well, normal for this business anyway."

"You can plan a picnic, but you can't predict the weather, Rinoa. You know that." Rinoa nodded.

"I just feel so helpless and so angry and so depressed. I just want to scream and throw things. It's so _unfair_, and the more I think about it, the angrier I get. Then, I have everybody around me: 'Think about the baby, Noa'. 'Remember, you're pregnant'. Because, you know, I haven't noticed the protruding bubble jutting out of my stomach for the past month or two." Catherine laughed. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're just too much sometimes, Noa."

"Where's Aaron?"

"Your father took him out for a new toy or two. He thought we could use the time to talk."

"Thanks for coming out. I don't know what I'd do without you guys around. God, I've been such a bad…"

"Stop, Noa. You're grieving and you're pregnant, so you probably feel it a billion times more because your hormones are all over the map," Catherine told her. "What you're feeling is natural, but I don't have to tell you that."

"I think you do," Rinoa laughed, running her hands over her head. "I feel like I'm going crazy, and everyone's driving me there!"

"Shane's worried about you."

"I know he is. I just need to grieve," Rinoa told her, sipping her tea. "He was a big part of my life for a long time. It's just so strange to think I'm not going to be seeing him again. I know Shane wanted me to go, but I know it's still dark backstage. Everyone's hurting. I just…it sounds selfish, but I need time to myself. I'm having such a hard time processing it. It's so surreal."

"I think you're having a boy," Catherine told her daughter, putting her hand on Rinoa's bump.

"Don't jinx it. I want a girl," Rinoa told her.

"Are you excited to find out next Wednesday?"

"I am. Shane and I can't seem to agree on any names, though."

"It'll come to you guys," Catherine assured her. "What do you say tomorrow we go have a girl's day out? Your dad wants to watch the game with Aaron. If we aren't careful, he's going to be just as big of a football nut as your father." Rinoa laughed.

"I guess we can do that," she agreed. She looked at the tape, which had changed to a clip of them after Rinoa's first appearance in WCW. "It kind of feels like the sun got a little dimmer, Mom."

"That's normal. It gets a little more manageable with time," Catherine assured her. "But I know he wouldn't want you to mope. He never liked seeing you upset."

"No, he didn't," she laughed. "Between him and Chris and Rey…"

"Have you spoken to Chris at all?"

"Every day," Rinoa answered.

"No. The other one," her mother pressed.

"Benoit? No, I haven't," Rinoa said. "I haven't spoken to him since the funeral. I don't know what to say to him. He was even closer to Eddie than I was. Between you and I, Mom, I've always had the feeling that he doesn't like me."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"It's just a feeling I get," Rinoa confessed.

"I'm sure you would have known if he didn't by now," Catherine told her. "Do you plan on making an appearance for dinner?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Take all the time you need." She hugged her daughter, then got up and left. Serena looked at the TV screen. It had changed to a clip of Rinoa at her first Fozzy show. She laughed, remembering the night of partying after the show. She cringed at the ridiculous shirt Chris was wearing before she shut the TV off.


End file.
